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A US Navy P-8A Poseidon conducted a lengthy surveillance mission over the Eastern Mediterranean, inspecting the damaged Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz before monitoring the Suez Canal for approximately five hours. This operation coincided with the USS Ford carrier strike group's deployment in the region and the presence of Russian assets, including the submarine Krasnodar and destroyer RFS Severomorsk.

The P-8A's mission appears focused on tracking maritime movements and potential Russian naval activity in this strategic chokepoint linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. After the surveillance, the P-8A returned to NAS Sigonella, making a brief descent near Crete, indicating a possible investigation of a contact of interest.