Recent attacks on commercial vessels in Black Sea are completely unacceptable: EU has called on Russia to cease attacks
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is also being waged in the Black Sea, posing serious threats to maritime security and freedom of navigation. The European Union has called on the Russian Federation to cease its attacks on commercial vessels.
This was stated by European Commission spokesperson Christian Wiegand, according to Censor.NET, citing "European Truth".
A threat to international shipping
Indeed, the EU emphasises that Russia poses a threat to maritime security and shipping in the Black Sea.
"The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea carrying wheat are completely unacceptable. The fact that Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine is also being waged in the Black Sea poses serious threats to maritime security and freedom of navigation," the spokesperson emphasised.
Wigand called on Russia to "cease all actions that endanger international shipping and the lives of seafarers, and to resume compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea".
According to him, the European Maritime Safety Agency has offered its support to the Romanian and Bulgarian authorities in line with its role in providing support at European level in the field of maritime safety and situational awareness.
"Both Romania and Bulgaria have requested satellite imagery to improve situational awareness following the attacks, and we are currently providing this imagery," added Vigand.
What led up to it
- It was previously reported that on 5 October, Russian forces attacked a civilian vessel carrying maize and owned by Turkey using two drones. There were Azerbaijani and Indian nationals on board. According to preliminary reports, the captain was killed; the fate of one other person is still unknown; 11 crew members were rescued. One of them was injured.
- On 6 October, drones attacked two merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria.
- According to information from the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities, drones attacked vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea — the general-purpose cargo vessel ALFA WATAN, flying the flag of Togo, and the general-purpose cargo vessel ABLE, flying the flag of Palau.
- The vessel ALFA WATAN has sunk. The Romanian Ministry of the Interior has reported two fatalities and 11 crew members rescued. All 18 crew members on the other vessel were rescued; they were picked up by a passenger ferry.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had carried out the attack, and that the Ukrainian Navy had contacted its Bulgarian counterparts regarding this incident.
