Russian Drone Campaign Kills 31 as Black Sea Cargo Traffic Grounds to Halt

A sea drone struck the hull of the cargo ship HS Dignity just after 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13 as heavy swells rolled through the Black Sea, prompting the captain to order an evacuation. The 16 Syrian and Egyptian crew members put on life jackets and stood on deck while the 123-metre vessel began to sink. They then saw an unmanned boat approaching in the dark, initially mistaking it for a rescue craft before realizing it was another attacker. "We realized that this boat was also part of the group that was attacking us. Of course, we all ran," said chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh, 42. The drone rammed the ship before the crew could finish launching lifeboats.

Mamdouh urged the others to swim clear of the sinking vessel and tried to keep the group together, but strong winds drowned out voices and currents pulled people apart. He found a life raft and lay in it for four hours until the vessel Azov Concord appeared, at which point he signaled using his phone's flashlight. He is among five survivors. Eleven remain listed as missing, including 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman, a Syrian national on his first voyage. His father, Basel, said the young man called on the night of Oct. 12 to say, "Dad, we're in Bulgaria now." Suleiman had sought work in the engine room but was assigned to the deck after the Alfa Watan was struck by drones on Oct. 6; ten crew members from that ship have not been recovered.

The Dignity is among nearly 50 commercial vessels that maritime analysts say have been attacked in the Black Sea this month as the Russia-Ukraine war extends further at sea. At least 31 seafarers have been killed or are missing. Many strikes have occurred in the western Black Sea, near NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. A search-and-rescue operation was underway Friday for a Comoros-flagged ship hit by drones just outside Romanian territorial waters; one body was recovered and three people remain missing among a crew of 13 that included Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors. Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the incident. NATO has responded by deploying additional patrol boats and radar.

Data from maritime risk firm Ambrey shows more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels this year in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Ambrey attributes 40 of the 45 attacks recorded in October to Russia. Russia's Ministry of Defence has acknowledged striking dozens of ships this month, almost always stating they supported Ukraine's military. Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., said he has 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. The Philippine government has barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea.

Shipping companies are pulling vessels from service. Turkey-based ED Shipping has laid up 19 of its 26 ships, and chief financial officer Demre İşcen said the company is losing millions of dollars each month. The firm's ship Circon was hit on June 5 in the Sea of Azov, killing two crew members. Ukraine acknowledged that attack, saying the vessels it targeted carried stolen Ukrainian grain, military cargo and fuel; İşcen disputes this account, saying the ship was heading to load Russian grain. Mamdouh and his surviving crewmates are waiting in Bulgaria for replacement documents to fly home. "I will not go back to the Black Sea again. Never," he said.

The Dignity had sailed from Algeria and was bound for Romania to load grain when it was struck. Mamdouh told Basel Suleiman he last saw Hamza wearing a life jacket.