Drones Kill 31 Sailors and Freeze Black Sea Trade

Thirty-one seafarers have died or vanished since the start of the month as drone strikes on commercial ships in the Black Sea force a near-halt to regional shipping. NATO has increased its maritime security presence, deploying additional patrol boats and radar systems to the waters off Bulgaria and Romania. The alliance responded after attacks expanded into western Black Sea territory, including one on Friday against a Comoros-flagged vessel just outside Romanian waters. That strike left one crew member dead and three missing.

Maritime risk firm Ambrey recorded 45 attacks in October and attributes 40 of them to Russia. Russian Defense Ministry officials acknowledged striking dozens of ships, claiming the targets supported the Ukrainian military. The attacks have stalled traffic in a major grain corridor. At least 18 Syrian sailors have died, according to Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K. He noted that economic pressure drives many to take the risks. The Philippine government has also barred its citizens from boarding ships in the northern Black Sea.

The latest major incident involved the cargo ship HS Dignity, which was hit by a sea drone at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13. The 16-person crew, comprised of Syrian and Egyptian nationals, abandoned the 123-metre vessel. Chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh said a second drone rammed the ship before lifeboats could launch. Strong winds and currents pulled survivors apart. Mamdouh lay in a drifting life raft for four hours until the ship Azov Concord found him. Five crew members survived the ordeal.

Eleven sailors remain missing, including 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman, who was on his first voyage. His father, Basel, said Hamza had called on Oct. 12 to say the ship was in Bulgarian waters. Basel had tried to arrange for his son to switch ships in Turkey, but Hamza stayed aboard. Mamdouh told the family he last saw Suleiman wearing a life jacket. The crew of the HS Dignity is now waiting in Bulgaria for new documents to return home.

Shipping companies are reacting to the losses. Turkey-based ED Shipping has laid up 19 of its 26 vessels. Chief financial officer Demre İşcen said the company is losing millions of dollars monthly. The company’s ship Circon was hit in the Sea of Azov in June, killing two crew members. Ukraine said the vessel carried stolen grain, a claim İşcen disputes. Mamdouh said he will not return to the Black Sea.

NATO’s expanded patrols aim to protect the remaining commercial traffic. The search for the three missing crew members from the Comoros-flagged ship continues. The next phase of the military response includes further radar coverage of the western Black Sea.