Security in the Black Sea and surrounding waters has taken an ominous turn following a spike in attacks on Russian-linked shipping and fresh threats from the Kremlin, raising alarm and insurance rates.
Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow may expand military action against commercial tonnage if strikes on Russia’s tanker fleet continue.
According to Interfax, the Russian president labelled the incidents “piracy” and said the first response could be a widening of attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure and ships calling at those ports.
Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, are prohibited under international law
“Second, if this continues, we will consider the possibility — I’m not saying we will do this, but we will consider the possibility of retaliatory measures against the vessels of those countries that assist Ukraine in committing these piracy acts,” he said.
Moscow has reported at least nine attacks on its commercial vessels, most of them tankers, over the past year, with four incidents occurring in the past week alone. The perpetrators of most attacks have not publicly claimed responsibility.
Putin also described what he called the most extreme response: “The most radical option is to cut Ukraine off from the sea, then piracy will be impossible in principle.”
The growing risk is already forcing shipowners to reassess involvement with Russian-linked trades.
In a statement, Istanbul-based Besiktas Shipping said it was ceasing “all shipping operations involving Russian interests” following an incident last week involving its tanker Mersin, which was damaged near Dakar after being hit by four external explosions while at anchor.
“Throughout our operations, we have strictly adhered to all international sanctions regimes, maintaining full compliance with the G7/EU Price Cap mechanism and all relevant trade restrictions,” the owner said. “However, the security situation in the region has escalated considerably. After a thorough assessment, we have concluded that the risks posed to our vessels and crew have become untenable As the safety of our personnel and assets is our highest priority, we are halting all such operations.”
The blasts off Senegal came just a day before two sanctioned tankers were struck by Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea, near Turkey’s coast, as they headed towards a Russian port to load oil, according to a Ukrainian official. A further Russian-flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil later reported a drone attack in the same area. Ukraine has denied involvement in the most recent incident, though a Turkish official said “necessary messages” had been conveyed to all relevant parties, including Ukrainian authorities.
The United Nations has urged restraint and warned against the targeting of civilian shipping. Commenting at UN headquarters in New York, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said: “We reiterate that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, are prohibited under international law.”
Photos of the aftermath of the attack on the Midvolga-2 tanker have emerged.
Interestingly, the attack was carried out using an aerial drone, not a naval drone. pic.twitter.com/lEvIfwa9O3
