Over 300 attacks, more than 30 seafarer deaths and disrupted trade: How the Black Sea is becoming a major maritime danger zone

The Black Sea has emerged as a deadlier maritime zone this year than the Strait of Hormuz, with a series of attacks killing more seafarers, disrupting trade routes and increasing tensions along NATO's eastern border. Russian forces have targeted commercial vessels transporting food exports from Ukraine across the Black Sea. Ukraine has also launched drone attacks against Russian shipping on the opposite side of the sea.

As attacks have intensified, shipping companies have largely withdrawn from waters near Ukraine and Russia, seeking shelter from the growing threats. However, the strikes have increasingly spread into the waters of Romania and Bulgaria, both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), resulting in several deadly incidents. According to figures from maritime security company Ambrey, the Black Sea has experienced more than 300 attacks this year. The incidents have killed over 30 seafarers and left more than 20 missing, based on information from the Turkish Shipowners’ Association, MarineTraffic reports and local authorities.

By comparison, around 130 attacks have been recorded in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East since the U.S.-Iran conflict began at the end of February. These incidents have resulted in 25 seafarer deaths, according to the International Maritime Organization. In October, nearly half of the attacks involving 12 vessels off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria resulted in seafarers being killed, reported missing or injured. Some European leaders have linked the attacks near NATO territory to Russia, although Moscow has denied any involvement.

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The incidents have coincided with a rise in airspace violations, cyberattacks and acts of sabotage along NATO's eastern border. European officials have attributed these developments to Moscow. Romania and Bulgaria are particularly vulnerable to Russian hostility, as their military capabilities and civil defense systems are among the least developed in Europe. NATO allies are deploying resources to support the region.

On Monday, the European Commission announced plans to accelerate the establishment of a Black Sea maritime-security hub following the recent attacks. However, the Commission did not identify Russia as being responsible for the incidents. The Black Sea is strategically important as a maritime link between Europe and Asia. Six countries, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, border the sea, providing access to important international trade routes.

In the months following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Black Sea became a major centre of naval warfare and attacks on commercial shipping. However, hostilities gradually declined. Russian warships retreated to port and, following international pressure, stopped targeting merchant vessels transporting grain and other food products from Ukraine.

Ukraine's agricultural exports are important for countries across Africa and parts of the Middle East, which rely on its harvests to support their food supplies. The latest escalation in violence has significantly reduced commercial shipping activity across the Black Sea. According to Global Fishing Watch, a nongovernmental organization that monitors maritime activity, the number of ships entering the Black Sea through the Bosporus fell by 41% in October compared with the same month in 2025. Transits in both directions also declined by 38% during the same period.