Russian authorities are tightening measures at ports, including employing divers to inspect the underside of vessels, in response to rising threats to merchant shipping and infrastructure, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The letter, issued by the Russian transport ministry and the federal agency for sea and river transport (ROSMORRECHFLOT), instructs sea port captains to inform shipowners that all vessels will need to be inspected for foreign objects and explosives when arriving at seaports, including using divers and telemetric equipment for underwater examinations.

The letter, dated February 14, mentions a heightened threat to the safe functioning of transport infrastructure and merchant shipping vessels transporting dangerous and high-risk goods.

Three oil tankers around the Mediterranean, and another in the Baltic Sea, have been damaged by blasts in the last month in separate incidents, with the causes unknown.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Reuters, writing by Robert Harvey, editing by Sharon Singleton)