The Shortsea Shipowners Association (EENMA) submitted an urgent memorandum to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy following the intense escalation of dangerous incidents and ongoing attacks using sea drones and uncrewed or floating mines against commercial vessels in the wider Black Sea region. This issue is taking on increasingly larger dimensions, creating heightened concern among shortsea shipping companies – members of EENMA – operating predominantly in this specific area.
It is now self-evident that these attacks directly threaten the safety of navigation, as already officially condemned by the Greek Government via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, creating suffocating working conditions for crews and rendering the continuation of commercial flows extremely precarious. At the same time, an additional, clearly emerging risk is highlighted: the security of the supply chain. Should transit through Ukraine’s designated maritime corridor toward the rest of Europe and North African countries (Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia)—which is particularly critical for grain transport—become impossible or even unsafe, food security is automatically and directly threatened. It should be noted that Ukraine’s Black Sea ports constitute the primary export route for the country’s agricultural products, through which up to 40 million tons of grain can be moved per commercial season; these cargo volumes cannot be alternatively served by rail networks.
Resolving these issues requires coordinated action by the competent authorities at both national and European levels, though naturally, it is advisable for competent institutional bodies beyond national entities to be activated as well. In this context, EENMA requests the immediate activation of national and European mechanisms to ensure free and safe navigation in the region. Specifically, it submitted a memorandum to the leadership of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, highlighting the critical nature of the issue and submitting action plan proposals to ensure the operation of shortsea shipping:
- Diplomatic mobilization at the IMO with the aim of strengthening the protection of shortsea shipping and commercial vessels transiting the Black Sea, in cooperation with other member states (such as Romania and Bulgaria, which border the Black Sea).
- Strengthening monitoring and early warning capabilities for detecting sea mines and uncrewed systems along established maritime routes.
- Institutional coordination between competent national entities and the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group (MCM Black Sea Task Group), a tripartite initiative by Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania aimed at addressing risks arising from the Ukraine-Russia war in the Western Black Sea. On Greece’s part, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defence, could request an official and regular flow of information from the MCM Black Sea operational group.
- Creation of a Real-Time Information Channel providing immediate mine detection data from the alliance’s military forces to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC/EKSED) of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy, and from there to the ship management companies operating in this specific maritime area.
Additionally, EENMA explicitly declares its intention to contribute to any action required for the timely avoidance of further emerging disruptions to freight flows, continuing to keep the competent authorities informed of any relevant developments that come to its attention.