ZUWARA — An operation to tow the damaged Russian liquefied natural gas tanker Arctic Metagaz to safety off Libya's western coast failed at 4 a.m. local time Thursday due to harsh weather conditions and strong winds that caused the vessel to drift out of control, according to Libya's Ports and Maritime Transport Authority. The tanker, which is carrying liquefied natural gas, has been drifting in the Mediterranean Sea since sustaining damage in a suspected sea drone attack in March.

"The tanker is unable to return to redo the towing operation under these dangerous weather conditions," the authority stated. It urged all vessels and naval units to maintain a distance of at least 10 nautical miles from the drifting tanker.

The authority also called on vessels to report any change in the tanker's status or if a leak or smoke is detected near the vessel. The tanker continued to drift without a tow line in the open sea.

The Arctic Metagaz experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire in March about 240 kilometers (150 miles) off the coastal city of Sirte, according to the authority. The vessel remained afloat after the incident and drifted toward Libya's coast, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. The tanker had been drifting in the Mediterranean in the weeks since the explosions.

Last week, the tanker was being towed to a safe zone off the town of Zuwara on Libya's western coast, according to Libya's coast guard. The vessel had been towed to the limits of Malta's search and rescue zone before the latest operation was attempted off Zuwara on Thursday.

Libya's National Oil Corp. said last month that it was collaborating with Italian energy company Eni to safely bring the damaged tanker to shore to avert an environmental crisis.

The Arctic Metagaz is part of a fleet of Russian vessels that transport fossil fuels in violation of international sanctions related to Russia's war on Ukraine. Thursday's failed towing attempt left the tanker adrift once again, with no immediate indication of when conditions might allow another recovery effort.