Black Sea Drone Attacks Leave 31 Sailors Dead
ED Shipping has grounded 19 of its 26 vessels as maritime traffic halts following over 500 attacks on commercial ships this year.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
At least 31 seafarers have been killed or remain missing after drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea killed 16 crew members aboard the cargo ship HS Dignity on Oct. 13.
The attacks have forced a near standstill in one of the world's key shipping corridors. Maritime risk firm Ambrey recorded more than 500 strikes 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. Russia's Ministry of Defence acknowledged striking dozens of ships this month, claiming the targets supported Ukraine's military.
Just after 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, a sea drone struck the hull of the HS Dignity, which was traveling from Algeria to Romania to load grain. Chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh, 42, ordered the 16 Syrian and Egyptian crew members to abandon the sinking 123-metre ship. As they donned life jackets, a small boat sped toward them in the dark. The crew thought it was a rescue team, but Mamdouh realized it was part of the attacking group. The drone rammed the ship, preventing the crew from finishing the launch of lifeboats.
Mamdouh urged survivors to swim clear of the sinking vessel while strong winds and currents pulled people apart. He lay in a drifting life raft for four hours until the vessel Azov Concord arrived. He signaled using his phone's flashlight. Mamdouh is one of five survivors. Eleven crew members are missing, including 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman, a Syrian on his first voyage.
Suleiman's father, Basel, said his son called on Oct. 12 while the ship was in Bulgarian waters. The young man had grown fearful after the Alfa Watan was hit by drones on Oct. 6, leaving ten crew members unrecovered. Mamdouh told the father he last saw Suleiman wearing a life jacket. Basel tried to arrange for his son to leave the ship in Turkey, but the young man stayed aboard.
Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., counts at least 18 Syrian seafarers killed in recent attacks. He noted that many sailors are forced into these jobs to find work. The Philippine government has barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea. On Oct. 16, a search and rescue operation continued after a Comoros-flagged ship was hit by drones just outside Romanian waters. One body was recovered, and three crew members remain missing.
Turkey-based ED Shipping has laid up 19 of its 26 vessels. Chief financial officer Demre İşcen stated the company is losing millions of dollars each month. Its ship Circon was hit in the Sea of Azov on June 5, killing two crew members. Ukraine said the targeted vessels carried stolen grain and military cargo, a claim İşcen disputes. Survivors of the HS Dignity are currently waiting in Bulgaria for new documents to return home.
Mamdouh said he will not return to the Black Sea. NATO has deployed more patrol boats and radar to the region in response to the escalating threats.
