Black Sea Shipping: Drone Attacks Force Halt to Commercial Traffic

At least 31 seafarers are dead or missing following a series of drone strikes on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

Maritime analysts indicate that nearly 50 cargo ships have been attacked this month. The violence has effectively stopped traffic in the region, a critical route for global grain and fuel shipments. NATO has responded by deploying additional patrol boats and radar systems to monitor the waters.

One recent incident involved the cargo ship HS Dignity, which was hit by a sea drone just after 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13. The vessel, which was traveling from Algeria to Romania to load grain, began to sink. The 16 crew members, who were Syrian and Egyptian nationals, abandoned ship as a second drone approached. Chief Officer Ashraf Mamdouh, 42, said the crew believed the approaching boat was a rescue vessel until they saw it was unmanned. The drone rammed the HS Dignity before the lifeboats could be fully launched.

Mamdouh spent four hours in a life raft in heavy swells before the vessel Azov Concord rescued him. He is one of five survivors from the HS Dignity. Eleven crew members remain missing, including Hamza Suleiman, an 18-year-old on his first voyage. Suleiman's father, Basel, said his son had called him the previous night while in Bulgarian waters. Mamdouh reported seeing Suleiman wearing a life jacket before the ship went under.

The attacks have concentrated in the western Black Sea, near the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. On Oct. 16, a Comoros-flagged ship was struck outside Romanian territorial waters. Of its 13 crew members, one body has been recovered and three remain missing. Romanian President Nicușor Dan attributed the strikes to Russia. Data from the firm Ambrey shows more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov this year. The company assesses that Russia was responsible for 40 of the 45 attacks recorded in October.

Russia's Ministry of Defence acknowledged striking dozens of ships, stating that the targets supported Ukraine's military efforts. Ukraine confirmed it attacked the vessel Circon in the Sea of Azov on June 5, which killed two crew members. Ukraine said the targeted ships carried stolen Ukrainian grain and military cargo. Demre İşcen, chief financial officer of Turkey-based ED Shipping, disputes that account for one of his vessels. ED Shipping has laid up 19 of its 26 ships, a move that the company says costs millions of dollars per month.

Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., has counted at least 18 Syrian seafarers killed in the conflict. The Philippine government has ordered its citizens not to board vessels in the northern Black Sea. Survivors from the HS Dignity are currently waiting in Bulgaria for travel documents to return home.