The Black Sea became the world's deadliest shipping lane in 2026, with more than 570 ships damaged and at least 40 merchant sailors killed, beyond the 24 deaths recorded near the Strait of Hormuz. According to maritime security firm Embry, attacks increased between July and September, with 387 vessels being hit - more than 4 per day. The escalation follows Ukrainian attacks on shipping linked to Russia and increased Russian attacks against vessels serving Ukrainian ports. Embry attributes about 90% of shipping attacks over the past 45 days to Russia, which include aerial drones, naval drones loaded with explosives and missiles. The violence spread towards NATO members Romania and Bulgaria. On Friday, a UAV attack sank the Comoros-flagged Khoreev off the coast of Romania, killing one sailor and leaving 3 missing. Meanwhile, shipping through Ukraine's Greater Odessa ports fell from about 400 ships in July to less than 10 last month, as the growing insurance specter of war risk and mounting security threats deter shipowners. NATO has announced additional surveillance deployments as the conflict increasingly threatens international maritime trade.

The Black Sea became the world's deadliest shipping lane in 2026, with more than 570 ships damaged and at least 40 merchant sailors killed, beyond the 24 deaths recorded near the Strait of Hormuz. According to maritime security firm Embry, attacks increased between July and September, with 387 vessels being hit - more than 4 per day. The escalation follows Ukrainian attacks on shipping linked to Russia and increased Russian attacks against vessels serving Ukrainian ports. Embry attributes about 90% of shipping attacks over the past 45 days to Russia, which include aerial drones, naval drones loaded with explosives and missiles. The violence spread towards NATO members Romania and Bulgaria. On Friday, a UAV attack sank the Comoros-flagged Khoreev off the coast of Romania, killing one sailor and leaving 3 missing. Meanwhile, shipping through Ukraine's Greater Odessa ports fell from about 400 ships in July to less than 10 last month, as the growing insurance specter of war risk and mounting security threats deter shipowners. NATO has announced additional surveillance deployments as the conflict increasingly threatens international maritime trade.