A Greek-flagged tanker was struck off the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea early on Saturday, Shipping Minister Vasilis Kikilias has said.
Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, Kikilias said the vessel had been hit earlier in the morning outside the port city of Novorossiysk.
The crew of 24 sailors – including 10 Greeks, 13 Filipinos and 1 Romanian – were reported to be in good health, he added. The tanker, which suffered only material damage in the strike, had been chartered by US oil giant Chevron.
The Shipping Ministry said the tanker, the Maran Homer, had sailed from the port of Thessaloniki bound for Novorossiysk.
Kikilias said the strike may be linked to tensions in the region and recent decisions allowing limited transport of Russian oil.
“It is assumed that this strike is part of the pressure that countries in the region are putting on it, and it is perhaps also related to the decisions that were made to partially allow Russian oil to be transported for a month,” he said.
The minister said he had informed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis about the incident.
Greece will raise the issue at the level of the European Council if necessary, Kikilias said, calling it “unacceptable and very dangerous” to target vessels sailing under the Greek flag or carrying Greek crews.
This story has been updated.