Black Sea shipping risks mount as Ukraine offers to work with Ankara

KIEV

Ukraine said it was ready to coordinate with Türkiye on civilian shipping safety in the Black Sea, where repeated attacks have hit Turkish-owned and Turkish-flagged vessels.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi offered condolences to the families of seafarers killed in recent incidents, noting that Turkish citizens were among the victims.

“We are ready for the necessary contacts and coordination with Türkiye to clarify the circumstances and help ensure the safety of civilian shipping,” Tykhyi said.

The statement did not identify who carried out the attacks or what weapons were used.

Tykhyi blamed the deterioration in Black Sea security on Russia, accusing Moscow of turning much of the sea into a conflict zone through attacks on Ukrainian ports and civilian infrastructure.

He urged shipowners, operators and crews to follow navigational warnings and avoid areas closed to maritime traffic, as well as Russian ports and territorial waters.

The statement followed the death of Turkish chief cook İlker Lazoğlu, 47, aboard the Ro-Ro vessel “Ural” near Russia’s Novorossiysk port.

Turkish media reported that Lazoğlu had been evacuated to “Ural” after an earlier attack on the cargo ship “Necibe.”

“Ural,” which rescued 18 crew members from the vessel, was later struck, killing Lazoğlu and injuring eight others.

Responsibility for either attack has not been officially established.

In another recent incident, Turkish-operated container ship “RMS Team” was hit by a drone in international waters while sailing from Gemlik to Novorossiysk.

Operator Akkon Lines said 11 crew members were rescued, while one remained missing.

The incidents followed drone attacks on the Turkish-owned civilian vessels “Yaşar” and “Nadezhda” after they departed Novorossiysk on Aug. 3. Several crew members, including Turkish citizens, were injured.

Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said at the time that it was seriously concerned that the war was spreading across the Black Sea and affecting civilian vessels.

It called on both Russia and Ukraine to take concrete measures to ensure navigational safety.

The attacks have also begun to disrupt Turkish commercial shipping in the region, according to industry representatives.

Salih Zeki Çakır, chairman of the Istanbul Institute for Maritime Strategies and Research and Trabzon Shipyard, told DW Türkçe that more than 700 Turkish-flagged cargo ships and smaller coastal freighters operate in the Black Sea.

“Our vessels have almost completely halted operations because the safety of crews and cargo cannot be guaranteed,” he said.

Çakır estimated that around 50 Turkish-flagged ships and coastal freighters had been damaged in attacks since the war began in February 2022.

He warned that continued disruption could affect shipments of energy products, grain, coal and steel, while the use of alternative routes would increase transport costs.

He also said damaged vessels stranded offshore posed an environmental risk because of the fuel they carried and called on Ankara to engage both Moscow and Kiev.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan earlier this month called for a mechanism allowing Russia and Ukraine to declare a moratorium on attacks against commercial shipping.

He said Ankara had relayed a Ukrainian proposal to Moscow.

Russia subsequently rejected the idea of a partial Black Sea ceasefire, while saying it had received no "formal" proposal.