Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 570 attacks on ships in the Black Sea since the beginning of 2026, there have been more than 570 attacks on ships in the Black Sea, killing at least 40 sailors. The "Financial Times" writes about this with reference to the Embry Maritime Security Company and the International Maritime Organization. The Black Sea has become the most dangerous route for commercial shipping, surpassing the Persian Gulf in the number of attacks six times. As for deaths, 24 sailors have been confirmed to have died in the Persian Gulf. The intensity of the attacks increased significantly in the summer. There were 387 attacks on ships between July and September, more than five times as many as in the previous quarter. Embry estimates that Russia is responsible for 90% of the attacks in the last month and a half. One of the latest attacks took place on October 23 - the merchant ship Horiv sank off the coast of Romania after a drone attack. One sailor was killed and three were missing. The increase in the number of attacks also affected the work of Greater Odessa ports: in the previous month, less than 10 ships passed through them, while in July there were about 400. The situation worsens due to a sharp increase in insurance costs. Insurers quoted by the FT estimate that the cost of insuring ships against war risks in the Black Sea could reach 15% of hull value - almost twice that of ships operating in the Persian Gulf. All this forces certain companies to refuse flights in the Black Sea. Others, in an effort to reduce insurance costs, use older vessels that are cheaper to maintain. Some of them are about 50 years old and their technical condition is poor.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 570 attacks on ships in the Black Sea since the beginning of 2026, there have been more than 570 attacks on ships in the Black Sea, killing at least 40 sailors. The "Financial Times" writes about this with reference to the Embry Maritime Security Company and the International Maritime Organization. The Black Sea has become the most dangerous route for commercial shipping, surpassing the Persian Gulf in the number of attacks six times. As for deaths, 24 sailors have been confirmed to have died in the Persian Gulf. The intensity of the attacks increased significantly in the summer. There were 387 attacks on ships between July and September, more than five times as many as in the previous quarter. Embry estimates that Russia is responsible for 90% of the attacks in the last month and a half. One of the latest attacks took place on October 23 - the merchant ship Horiv sank off the coast of Romania after a drone attack. One sailor was killed and three were missing. The increase in the number of attacks also affected the work of Greater Odessa ports: in the previous month, less than 10 ships passed through them, while in July there were about 400. The situation worsens due to a sharp increase in insurance costs. Insurers quoted by the FT estimate that the cost of insuring ships against war risks in the Black Sea could reach 15% of hull value - almost twice that of ships operating in the Persian Gulf. All this forces certain companies to refuse flights in the Black Sea. Others, in an effort to reduce insurance costs, use older vessels that are cheaper to maintain. Some of them are about 50 years old and their technical condition is poor.