ED Shipping Halts 19 Vessels

ED Shipping has stopped 19 of its 26 vessels from sailing. Chief financial officer Demre İşcen says the company is losing millions of dollars every month because of the halt. The decision comes as maritime analysts report that nearly 50 commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea this month.

The attacks have stopped much of the traffic in this major shipping corridor. NATO has responded by increasing maritime security. The alliance is deploying more patrol boats and radar systems to monitor the area. At least 31 seafarers have been killed or remain missing in the recent wave of strikes.

Many of the attacks happened in the western Black Sea. This area is close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. On Friday, a search and rescue operation was underway after a ship flagged in Comoros was hit by drones just outside Romanian waters. The vessel had 13 crew members, including sailors from Ukraine and Azerbaijan. One body was recovered and three people remain missing. Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the attack.

Data from the maritime risk firm Ambrey shows more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov this year. Ambrey believes Russia was responsible for 40 of the 45 attacks recorded in October. Russia's Ministry of Defence has acknowledged striking dozens of ships this month. The ministry said the ships supported Ukraine's military.

The HS Dignity was hit by a sea drone just after 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13. The crew of 16, all Syrian and Egyptian nationals, abandoned the sinking ship. Chief officer Ashraf Mamdouh said the crew saw a boat speeding toward them. They thought it was a rescue team. Then they realized no one was at the controls. The drone rammed the ship before the lifeboats could fully launch. Mamdouh is one of five survivors. Eleven crew members are missing, including 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman.

Suleiman's father, Basel, said his son called on the night of Oct. 12. The son told him they were in Bulgaria. Suleiman was on his first voyage and had grown fearful after another ship was struck on Oct. 6. Ten crew members from that ship, mostly Syrian, have not been recovered. Khaldoun Nabelsi, head of the Syrian Seafarers Association of the U.K., says at least 18 Syrian seafarers have been killed. He noted that many sailors take these jobs because they have few other options for work.

The Philippine government has barred its citizens from boarding vessels in the northern Black Sea. ED Shipping's ship Circon was hit on June 5 in the Sea of Azov. Two crew members died in that attack. Ukraine said the targeted vessels carried stolen Ukrainian grain, military cargo and fuel. İşcen disputes this claim and says the ship was heading to load Russian grain.

Mamdouh and his surviving crewmates are waiting in Bulgaria for new documents. They are preparing to fly home. Mamdouh said he will not go back to the Black Sea again.