By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN

Rome, Italy (CNN) — Maritime authorities have warned mariners to steer clear of a crewless Russian fuel tanker that has been drifting between Italy and Malta for days after an alleged drone attack, prompting fears of an environmental disaster.

Surveillance video taken from above the ship shows the smoldering blackened vessel listing to one side, with a massive gash on its port side and a filmy substance in the waters around it.

The Russian-flagged vessel – the Arctic Metagaz – is carrying around 900 metric tons (992 US tons) of diesel fuel and more than 60,000 metric tons (66,000 US tons) of liquefied natural gas in the still-intact hull, according to Italian authorities.

It is alleged to be part of Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet, made up of aging tankers that clandestinely ferry Russian oil around the world despite sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The 277-meter (909-foot) ship left the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk and was headed to Egypt, according to the website Vessel Finder.

However, early on March 3, it “was attacked by maritime and aerial drones in neutral waters in the central Mediterranean Sea,” about 168 nautical miles southeast of Malta, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement March 11.

The 30 crew members – some of whom sustained burns – abandoned ship after a fire broke out. They were rescued from their lifeboat and taken to Benghazi by the Libyan Coast Guard in conjunction with the Russian embassy in Libya, according to Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who called the alleged attack on the commercial vessel an “act of terrorism.”

Russia’s transport ministry said Ukrainian naval drones were responsible for the attack, Reuters reported. Ukraine has not commented on the incident.

Zakharova described the incident as “a flagrant violation of international law” with potentially grave consequences.

“Notably, the attack occurred in close proximity to the shores of an EU member state, yet none of the European nations have condemned the incident to date,” she said.

Although the incident happened in international waters, the Italian government is increasingly worried shifting winds might push the vessel close to Italian territory, according to Italian navy authorities.

They addressed the situation in a special session Friday with defense, foreign, energy, maritime and civil protection ministers, as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The group recommended to Meloni that the ship could not safely dock at an Italian port, calling it a “ticking time bomb filled with gas,” a spokesperson for the foreign ministry who attended the meeting told CNN.

It is not thought that anyone remained on the tanker, which lost all power and control of its steering. Meloni said in a statement after the meeting that her government was in “constant contact” with the Maltese authorities and that both countries were monitoring the situation.

Both Italy and Malta have dispatched tugboats and anti-pollution assets that are ready to intervene if necessary. On Sunday, the ship was drifting about 20 nautical miles off the Sicilian island of Linosa, part of the archipelago that includes Lampedusa.

Ultimately the responsibility for salvage lies with the ship’s Russian owner, LLC SMP Techmanagement, but neither Italian nor Maltese authorities have confirmed any contact with the group. CNN has tried to contact the owner.

Maltese authorities have commissioned a specialized marine salvage team to determine whether the tanker can be safely towed to a port, or if it should be sunk at sea

By Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN

(CNN) — Thousands of meatpacking workers walked off the job at a JBS-owned plant in Colorado on Monday in the industry’s first strike in 40 years.

JBS USA is the largest of the four major beef processing plants in the United States, which account for 85% of all US production. JBS employs a primarily immigrant workforce of 25,000 people across nine facilities nationwide.

United Food and Commercial Union Local 7, the union representing the 3,800 striking workers, said that JBS failed to meet its demands during contract negotiations over higher wages, life-saving safety equipment and improved healthcare.

“For months now, JBS has been insisting on poverty-level wages for workers at the plant … while at the same time putting all the risk of rising healthcare costs on workers,” said Kim Cordova, President of UFCW Local 7.

The strike at JBS’s Greeley, Colorado, plant is intended to last two weeks but could be extended, the union said. The previous contract expired on Sunday.

In a statement to CNN, JBS said its current offer “has already delivered meaningful wage increases, a secure pension, and long‑term financial stability” to its other unionized workers. JBS added that it will operate the facility to the best of its ability this week.

The strike comes as beef prices have risen 15.2% in the last year due to the smallest herd size in 75 years, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Trump administration announced in February it was quadrupling the import of beef from Argentina by 80,000 metric tons to help offset higher prices.

“If these plants close, it will have a huge impact on the economy,” Cordova told CNN. “Not just in Colorado, but in the US.”

In January, JBS agreed to pay $83.5 million over conspiring to price fix along with other meatpackers, according to settlement details.

Meatpacking workers at the Colorado plant accused JBS of retaliating against the organizing workers.

“We work very hard, in difficult conditions, and want JBS to negotiate fairly for a contract that will allow us to live with dignity,” said Deborah Rodarte, an inside skirt cutter in JBS’s Greeley plant. “We will stand together on the picket line until JBS recognizes our value and treats us fairly.”

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