Since the start of 2026, more than 570 vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea, and at least 40 seafarers have been killed. As a result, the route has become more dangerous for commercial shipping than routes in the Persian Gulf.
This is reported by the Financial Times.
The intensity of attacks rose sharply over the summer. From July to September, 387 vessels were attacked—five times more than in the previous quarter. According to maritime security firm Ambrey, about 90% of attacks on shipping over the past 45 days were attributed to Russia.
One of the latest incidents was the attack on the cargo vessel Khoryv off the coast of Romania on 23 October. After the strike, the ship caught fire and sank. One seafarer was killed and three others are missing.
The escalation is also affecting port operations. Over the past month, fewer than 10 vessels passed through the ports of Greater Odesa, compared with around 400 in July.
The number of attacks on ships in the Black Sea was more than six times higher than the corresponding figure for the Persian Gulf. At the same time, in the Strait of Hormuz area over the same period, the deaths of 24 seafarers were confirmed.
High insurance costs have become an additional risk factor. According to insurers’ estimates, war-risk cover for vessels can reach 15% of the hull’s value—almost twice as much as for ships in the Persian Gulf.
Because of the danger and high costs, some companies are abandoning voyages to the Black Sea. Others are using older vessels, which are cheaper to insure.
According to the FT, some of them are up to 50 years old and are in poor technical condition.
- The FT previously reported that Russian “shadow fleet” tankers are falsifying their coordinates to avoid Ukrainian attacks in the Black Sea. At least 12 sanctioned tankers transmitted fake coordinates to conceal their true location.