ED Shipping Idles 19 Vessels as Black Sea Drone Attacks Intensify

Crew members of the cargo ship HS Dignity abandoned their vessel in the dark hours of Oct. 13 after a drone strike sent it sinking in the Black Sea. Chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh, 42, described a chaotic scene where a small boat appeared to be a rescue effort before it turned out to be part of the attacking group. The boat rammed the hull before the crew could launch all lifeboats. Mamdouh is one of five survivors from the 16-person crew, which included Syrian and Egyptian nationals. Eleven crew members remain missing.

Maritime analysts report that nearly 50 commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea this month. The violence has stalled traffic in a critical shipping lane, prompting NATO to deploy additional patrol boats and radar systems. At least 31 seafarers have been killed or are missing in these incidents. Many strikes have occurred in the western Black Sea, near the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. On Oct. 16, a search and rescue operation began after a Comoros-flagged ship was hit outside Romanian waters, leaving one body recovered and three people missing.

Data from risk firm Ambrey indicates more than 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, claiming the targets supported Ukraine’s military. Ukraine stated that the vessels it targeted carried stolen grain, military cargo, and fuel. Demre İşcen, chief financial officer of Turkey-based ED Shipping, disputed this characterization regarding their own vessel, the Circon, which was hit in June.

ED Shipping has laid up 19 of its 26 vessels, according to İşcen. The company is losing millions of dollars each month as a result. İşcen said the Circon was heading to load Russian grain when it was struck on June 5, killing two crew members. The suspension of operations reflects a wider retreat by shipping companies from the region. The Philippine government has also barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea.

The human cost has fallen heavily on Syrian workers. Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., has counted at least 18 Syrian seafarers killed. He noted that while no one is forced to take these jobs, economic pressure makes the decision difficult. The loss of 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman, who was on his first voyage, has drawn attention to the risks. His father, Basel, said Hamza had expressed fear after the Alfa Watan was struck on Oct. 6, an attack that left ten crew members unrecovered.

Mamdouh and his surviving colleagues are currently waiting in Bulgaria for new documents to fly home. He said he will not return to the Black Sea. The surviving crew members are processing in a country that borders the conflict zone where their ship sank. The incident remains one of many that have forced the industry to pause operations in the region.