ED Shipping Halts 19 Vessels as Drone Attacks Disrupt Black Sea Trade

Demre İşcen, the chief financial officer of Turkey-based ED Shipping, has ordered 19 of the company’s 26 vessels to stop operating in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. The decision reflects a severe drop in confidence among operators facing a surge in maritime attacks. İşcen stated that the company is losing millions of dollars each month due to the halted operations.

Maritime risk firm Ambrey recorded more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels in the region this year. The firm believes Russia was responsible for 40 of the 45 strikes logged in October alone. Russia's Ministry of Defence has acknowledged hitting dozens of ships this month, stating that the targets supported Ukraine's military. Ukraine has claimed the vessels carried stolen grain, military cargo, and fuel, a narrative İşcen disputes for at least one of his ships.

The violence has claimed at least 31 lives, with many seafarers killed or missing. The most recent fatal incident involved the cargo ship HS Dignity, which sank in the Black Sea on Oct. 13. A sea drone struck the 123-metre vessel just after 1:30 a.m., forcing the crew to abandon ship. A second drone rammed the hull during the evacuation, leaving the crew with insufficient time to launch lifeboats.

Ashraf Mamdouh, a 42-year-old chief officer on the HS Dignity, survived the sinking. He recalled seeing a boat approach the crew in the dark, only to realize it was uncontrolled and part of the attack. Mamdouh spent four hours in a life raft before the vessel Azov Concord rescued him. He is one of five survivors from the crew. Eleven crew members remain missing, including 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman, a Syrian sailor on his first voyage.

Suleiman’s father, Basel, said his son called on Oct. 12 to say the ship was in Bulgarian waters. Hamza had grown fearful after the Alfa Watan was struck on Oct. 6, an attack that left ten crew members, mostly Syrian, unaccounted for. Mamdouh told the father he last saw Hamza wearing a life jacket, a detail that has kept the family hopeful despite the missing status.

The attacks have concentrated in the western Black Sea, near the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. On Oct. 23, a search-and-rescue operation was underway after a Comoros-flagged ship was hit near Romanian waters. One body was recovered, and three crew members, including Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors, remain missing. Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the strike.

NATO has increased maritime security in the region by deploying additional patrol boats and radar systems. Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., has counted at least 18 Syrian seafarers killed in the current wave of attacks. He noted that economic necessity drives many to take these jobs, stating, "If you want to work, you have to go."

The Philippine government has barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea. ED Shipping’s vessel Circon was hit in the Sea of Azov on June 5, killing two crew members. Mamdouh and the other survivors of the HS Dignity are currently in Bulgaria, waiting for documents to return home. Mamdouh said he will not return to the Black Sea.

The disruption affects a key shipping corridor for grain and fuel. While ED Shipping has laid up most of its fleet, other companies are scaling back operations. The financial losses continue to accumulate as insurers and operators assess the risk of the ongoing conflict at sea.