Attacks against commercial shipping in the Black Sea, near the port of Novorossiysk, have sharply intensified. The Greek newspaper Proto Thema reported that on the evening of August 17, two more commercial vessels belonging to Greek companies came under attack.
Sea-news.az reports that the successive incidents have raised serious concerns regarding maritime security in the Novorossiysk area, one of Russia’s most vital export hubs.
An empty cargo ship sailing under the Liberian flag and owned by Neptune Tradebulk Inc. was struck 20 nautical miles from the port while heading toward Novorossiysk to load grain. As a result of a missile strike and subsequent attacks by 5 UAVs, a powerful explosion and fire occurred on board, rendering the ship almost completely disabled.
The vessel’s 21-member crew (20 Filipino sailors and 1 Romanian captain) abandoned ship and were rescued by another nearby Greek-owned vessel, the Elina B.
Just 5 hours later, the Elina B, which had taken on board the crew of the ANNA S, itself came under attack. Despite suffering 2 UAV strikes, the ship—carrying a personnel of 20—was able to continue its voyage toward a Turkish port at a speed of approximately 9.5 knots.
According to the Greek television channel Skai, just a day prior—on August 16—a Ukrainian UAV struck the Greek oil tanker Skiros, which was loading Russian oil in the Black Sea. These back-to-back incidents around Novorossiysk demonstrate that risks to commercial and civilian shipping in the region have reached an all-time high.
