Black Sea Drone War Wipes Out 73% of ED Shipping Fleet, Costing Millions Monthly

Turkey-based ED Shipping has taken 19 of its 26 vessels out of service, a move that reflects the escalating danger for commercial traffic in the Black Sea. The company’s decision follows a series of drone strikes that have killed or left missing at least 31 seafarers this year.

The financial toll is immediate. Demre İşcen, the firm’s chief financial officer, stated that the company is losing millions of dollars each month while ships sit idle. ED Shipping’s fleet includes the vessel Circon, which was struck on June 5 in the Sea of Azov. That attack killed two crew members. İşcen disputed Ukraine’s claim that the ship carried stolen grain, arguing it was heading to load Russian grain.

Maritime risk firm Ambrey has recorded more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov this year. The data indicates that Russia was responsible for 40 of the 45 attacks logged in October. The Russian Ministry of Defence acknowledged striking dozens of ships this month, stating that the targets supported Ukraine’s military operations.

The violence has forced a near halt in traffic through this critical shipping corridor. NATO has increased its maritime security presence by deploying additional patrol boats and radar systems. Many recent strikes occurred in the western Black Sea, specifically off the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. On Friday, a search-and-rescue mission was active after drones hit a Comoros-flagged ship just outside Romanian waters. One body was recovered, and three crew members remain missing.

The human cost is concentrated among crews from Syria, Egypt, and other nations. The cargo ship HS Dignity, which had sailed from Algeria to Romania to load grain, was hit by a sea drone at 1:30 a.m. on October 13. The 123-metre vessel began sinking, and the captain ordered the 16 crew members to abandon ship. Chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh, 42, described a second boat speeding toward them in the dark. "We realized that this boat was also part of the group that was attacking us. Of course, we all ran," Mamdouh said.

Five survivors were rescued from the Dignity, while eleven are listed as missing. Among the missing is Hamza Suleiman, an 18-year-old Syrian on his first voyage. His father, Basel, said his son called on October 12 to say, "Dad, we're in Bulgaria now." Mamdouh told the father he last saw the young man wearing a life jacket, a detail that keeps the family hopeful. Suleiman had previously served on the Alfa Watan, which was struck on October 6, leaving ten crew members unaccounted for.

Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., has counted at least 18 Syrian seafarers killed in these incidents. "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. In response to the danger, the Philippine government has barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea.

Mamdouh and his surviving crewmates are currently waiting in Bulgaria for new documents to return home. "I will not go back to the Black Sea again. Never," he said.