Drone Campaign Kills 31 Sailors as Black Sea Grain Trade Grinds to a Halt
NATO increases patrols after dozens of attacks force shipping companies to lay up fleets and leave crews stranded in Bulgarian ports.
By Luana Sato ·
More than 50 commercial vessels have been hit in the Black Sea this month, killing or leaving at least 31 seafarers missing as regional trade freezes.
The escalation began just after 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, when a sea drone struck the hull of the cargo ship HS Dignity. The 16 crew members, all Syrian or Egyptian nationals, abandoned the vessel in heavy swells. Chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh, 42, said the crew spotted an uncrewed boat approaching and believed it was a rescue team. "We realized that this boat was also part of the group that was attacking us. Of course, we all ran," Mamdouh said. The drone rammed the ship, and the crew did not have time to finish launching the lifeboats.
Maritime risk firm Ambrey reports over 500 attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov this year. The firm attributes 40 of the 45 attacks recorded in October to Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defence acknowledged striking dozens of ships this month, claiming the targets supported Ukraine's military. Ukraine also admitted to attacks, stating it targeted vessels carrying stolen grain, military cargo, and fuel. Many strikes occurred in the western Black Sea, including off the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. On Friday, a search and rescue operation was underway after drones hit a Comoros-flagged ship near Romanian waters. One body from that ship has been recovered, and three crew members remain missing. Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the incident.
The HS Dignity was sailing from Algeria to Romania to load grain when it was hit. Mamdouh spent four hours in a life raft before the vessel Azov Concord rescued him and four others. Eleven crew members are listed as missing, including 18-year-old Syrian seafarer Hamza Suleiman. Suleiman's father, Basel, said his son called on Oct. 12 and said, "Dad, we're in Bulgaria now." Mamdouh last saw the teenager wearing a life jacket. Ten crew members from the Alfa Watan, also mostly Syrian, have not been recovered after that vessel was struck on Oct. 6.
Shipping companies are responding by pulling back from the region. Demre İşcen, chief financial officer of Turkey-based ED Shipping, said the company has laid up 19 of its 26 vessels. İşcen estimated the company loses millions of dollars each month due to the halt in operations. The Philippine government has barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea. Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., counted at least 18 Syrian seafarers killed. "Nobody is forced to take these jobs, but in other ways you are forced. If you want to work, you have to go," he said.
Mamdouh and his surviving crewmates are waiting in Bulgaria for new documents to fly home. NATO has deployed more patrol boats and radar to step up maritime security in the region. Mamdouh said he will not return to the Black Sea. "I will not go back to the Black Sea again. Never," he said.
