Black Sea attacks hit 7 more ships, sink Khuriyev off Romania
Key Facts
The cargo ship Khuriyev sank off Romania after coming under attack in the Black Sea, adding 1 death and 3 missing people to a series of attacks on commercial vessels during October. The Associated Press said the ship was about 13 nautical miles east of the port of Constanta when it sank. It had 10 Ukrainians and 3 Azerbaijanis on board, and rescue teams saved 9 crew members. The agency gives a separate toll for the other attacks during the month: at least 7 other cargo ships came under attack off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, leaving 2 people dead and 25 missing. Those figures therefore do not include casualties from the sinking of Khuriyev, and sources have not provided a consolidated toll covering all the incidents.
Khuriyev was headed to the Romanian port of Sulina after leaving Turkey on October 21, according to shipping data cited by the Associated Press. Sulina lies at the mouth of the Danube, along routes Ukraine uses to move grain exports after repeated strikes on its Black Sea and Danube ports. The agency said Kyiv has increasingly relied on alternative routes to deliver grain to markets in Africa and the Middle East. That places the voyage to Sulina within shipping traffic linked to the flow of Ukrainian grain through the region. In this context, the risks facing ships extend to the trade routes on which Ukraine's exports depend.
Maritime and aerial incidents continue around Romania's coast. On Saturday, October 24, Romanian pilots shot down 2 drones in territorial waters over the Black Sea during an air-policing mission, according to the Associated Press. The shootdown followed the Khuriyev incident on October 23, as cargo ships face repeated attacks off Romania and Bulgaria. Romanian President Nicusor Dan described the attack on the ship as "another example of the tragic consequences of Russian aggression against Ukraine." Dan called on Moscow to accept ceasefire proposals, the agency said. The source did not announce a toll combining deaths and missing people from these successive incidents.
The Bulgarian prime minister said the attacks "severely disrupt shipping in the Black Sea and drive insurance costs even higher," referring to an impact extending beyond direct loss of life. The Associated Press reported that drone incidents had not negatively affected trade at the port of Constanta as of its report, but shipping companies fear rising insurance premiums across the wider Black Sea. This highlights the contrast between ongoing trade at the port and shipping companies' concerns about the rising cost of transiting the region. The statement did not give a figure for the increase in insurance premiums. It also did not specify when those costs might change or concerns about shipping safety might ease.
In response to the risks, the Bulgarian prime minister said his country would begin talks with Romania and Turkey on joint proposals to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea. He did not announce an agreement or the start of joint measures. On the Romanian side, the Supreme Council of National Defence decided to accelerate the development of maritime surveillance capabilities, mine countermeasures equipment and capabilities to counter drones violating airspace and territorial waters, while strengthening cooperation with Bulgaria and Turkey. NATO also announced it would send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea. The alliance did not specify which capabilities it would send or when they would arrive.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance had strengthened its eastern flank, including by increasing counter-drone capabilities, and would continue to adjust its deterrence and defence posture as needed. But alliance members have not decided, according to the Associated Press, whether drone attacks within exclusive economic zones warrant applying the collective-defence guarantee set out in Article 5. The agency quoted Romanian defence analyst Radu Tudor as saying it remains uncertain how far the article applies to many drone attacks in the Black Sea. In parallel, talks announced by Bulgaria with Romania and Turkey are continuing, alongside Romania's and NATO's plans to strengthen surveillance and counter drones. According to the available statements, these steps remain at the announcement and planning stage.