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Greece warns of the risks to shipping fleet after Black Sea drone attack

According to the shipping ministry, Greece has advised its shipping fleet to review security measures before sailing to Russian Black Sea ports after drone attacks this week on two Greek-operated tanks.

Drones attacked two oil "tankers" on Tuesday, including one chartered U.S. oil giant Chevron as they sailed towards a Black Sea Terminal on Russia's Black Sea Coast.

Greek-operated tankers are among the largest in the world and play a pivotal role for trade throughout?the Black Sea Region, which includes Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania, as well as Russia and Ukraine.

In one of the documents that we saw that were released after the attacks, the shipping ministry stated that it was recommended that security managers of shipping companies and masters as well as security officers on Greek ships conduct an updated threat assessment for commercial ships in the Black Sea area and maritime areas near to it.

This week, the cost of war insurance for ships heading to the Black Sea has risen. The increase is a reflection of the riskier environment.

Two drones targeted the Matilda tanker, managed by Thenamaris in Greece.

Thenamaris officials said that there were no serious injuries or damage to the vessel. They also advised the crew to be more vigilant and to avoid any unnecessary exposure. This included moving around on the deck.

The ministry pointed shipping companies towards an older document, published in April 20,22, which recommended that?additional protective security measures should be maintained for a period of time as a result increased risk for Russian Black Sea Ports of Novorossiysk, Taman, Tuapse, and Kavkaz. Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis; editing by Mark Heinrich

(source: Reuters)