Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Wednesday for a global maritime truce after a drone attack sank a Greek container ship off Bulgaria, the latest of a series of strikes on ships in the western Black Sea this month.

Speaking at a high-level debate of the Greek presidency of the UN Security Council on maritime security, Mitsotakis said commercial vessels must be able to navigate safely and freely even during times of conflict.

"Targeted civilian commercial shipping is completely unacceptable. It is yet another reminder for the urgent need for a global maritime truce" he said, adding that disruptions to freedom of navigation drive up shipping and insurance costs, and ultimately increase costs for consumers.

"We cannot allow our seas to become a jungle," he said.