Tensions are rising in the Black Sea where states formerly part of the Soviet Union are in dispute with both Moscow and breakaway regions.
In the latest manifestation of the issue, Georgia has said it will screen all ships approaching Abkhazia, a semi-independent region, a move described by Moscow as an attempt to wreck the Abkhazi economy.
Last week a Georgian coastguard vessel reportedly fired a shot across the bows of a Russian-owned general cargo ship, the Bolivian-flag, 1,408-gt Izabella (built 1985).
