Topic
Black Sea
Every Vessel Hunter story on Black Sea: 41 stories, from 14 July 2026 to 12 October 2026. Newest: "Two missing off Sohar, HMM Platinum fire, ammonia bulker". Each story links to the ships and ports it names, so a name in the text opens the record behind it.
Two missing off Sohar, HMM Platinum fire, ammonia bulker
Two seafarers are missing after a drone hit a tanker off Sohar, HMM Platinum drifts off Madagascar after a fire, the MAIB reports on Arvia and Mineral Europa sails.
Abandoned Capesize Emil drifts into Bulgarian waters two months after drone strike
The bulk carrier Emil, abandoned off Odesa after a Russian drone strike on 5 August, has drifted into Bulgaria's economic zone with no salvage under way.
Rheinmetall buys Romania's Mangalia shipyard for €138m at the fifth auction
Rheinmetall has bought the bankrupt Mangalia shipyard in Romania for €138.03m, 75% of its auction value, to build two patrol ships and two support ships for Romania.
Aframax Rio burns off Sochi, 12 hurt on On Peace in Hormuz
The Maritime Briefing of 7 October 2026: Aframax Rio on fire off Sochi, 12 seafarers injured on On Peace, Solstad buys Normand Maximus and Queen Anne moves to P&O.
Aframax Rio burns off Sochi after uncrewed boat attack; 23 crew rescued
The Liberia-flagged tanker Aframax Rio caught fire off Sochi on 6 October after an attack by uncrewed boats. All 23 Indian crew were rescued and local beaches were closed.
Black Sea sinkings, Hormuz strikes, Japan names 35 ships
The Maritime Briefing of 6 October 2026: Alfa Watan and Royad Mammadov sunk by drones, five Hormuz incidents, Japan's first ship sanctions and a $117m VLCC resale.
Alfa Watan sinks off Bulgaria a day after Royad Mammadov is lost off Romania
A drone strike sank the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and set the grain-laden Able on fire off Bulgaria, a day after Royad Mammadov sank off Romania with two dead.
Russian cargo ship Yuriy Arshenevskiy sails from Tobruk to Turkish waters after arms delivery
The Russian-flagged Yuriy Arshenevskiy left Tobruk after a convoy delivered military vehicles to eastern Libya, passed the Dardanelles and turned for Tuzla short of the Bosporus.
This Week in Maritime: the strait gets a price list, the Dali gets a record
The week a VLCC fixed a Gulf voyage above $1m a day, Washington sanctioned the crypto rail behind Iran's transit fees, Asian port congestion passed its pandemic peak and the Dali became the largest single loss the P&I market has carried.
Master Killed in Black Sea Drone Attack as Turkey Circulates Truce Text
A drone strike on a Ukraine-bound Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship killed the master and injured three crew, days after Turkey handed Russia and Ukraine a draft memorandum on ending attacks on merchant shipping.
Maritime Briefing of 11 September 2026
The day in shipping: drones damage the Suezmax Siren, fire kills five aboard a Philippine ferry with 86 missing, and Maersk restarts limited Suez transits.
Drone strike damages Suezmax tanker Siren in the Black Sea
The Liberia-flagged crude carrier Siren was struck by drones overnight while crossing the Black Sea, damaging her accommodation block without injuries or an oil spill.
Drone-Hit Boxship RMS Team Declared a Constructive Total Loss
The 1,100 TEU feeder RMS Team, hit by a drone on 21 August while bound for Novorossiysk, has been written off after an assessment of the fire damage to her superstructure and forward container rows.
Second Jan De Nul Dredger Arrives at Anaklia to Take the Port Down to 17.5 Metres
The dredger Al-Idrisi has entered Anaklia Deep Sea Port in Georgia, where two Jan De Nul vessels will now work together to deepen the seabed to 17.5 metres.
Turkey's Largest Regional Box Operators Suspend All Calls at Russian Ports
Akkon Lines has told customers it is suspending service to every Russian port including St Petersburg, after a drone strike wrote off its 1,096 teu RMS Team at Novorossiysk.
Wheat Futures Reach Three-Year High as Black Sea Loadings Stall
Chicago wheat futures have risen 18 percent this month as attacks on merchant shipping shut down grain loading on both sides of the Black Sea.
Romania Rescues 12 Crew from Cargo Ship Suspected of Being Attacked
Romanian rescue services took 12 seafarers off the 7,298-dwt Progress IV after a fire that the country's president said appeared to have followed an attack.
Bulgaria Ratifies Transfer of Seven Belgian and Dutch Minehunters
Bulgaria's parliament has ratified agreements covering the acquisition of seven minehunters from Belgium and the Netherlands for Black Sea mine countermeasures.
MSC Suspends Novorossiysk Bookings After Drone Strike on Boxship
MSC has suspended new bookings to and from Novorossiysk with immediate effect after one of its containerships was struck by a drone leaving the Russian port.
Black Sea Attacks Drive Global Grain Shipments Down Eight Percent
Global grain shipments have fallen 8 percent year on year over five weeks, driven by a 26 percent collapse in Black Sea exports as attacks on ships and port infrastructure intensify.
Turkish Ship's Cook Killed in Second Black Sea Drone Strike
Drone strikes on two cargo ships off the Russian Black Sea coast left eight injured and one dead, the victim having been rescued from the first vessel hit.
Romanian F-16s Destroy Explosive Drone at Neptun Deep Gas Field
Two Romanian fighter jets were sent to disable a loitering naval drone found next to an active work area at the Neptun Deep gas project, where several hundred people were working.
Suezmax Skiros Attacked After Loading at the CPC Terminal
The Greek-run Suezmax Skiros was attacked in the Black Sea after loading Russian-origin crude at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk, with no injuries or pollution reported.
Nine Ships Struck in 24 Hours as Black Sea Grain War Escalates
Ukraine is reported to have struck as many as five bulkers around Novorossiysk while Russia claimed strikes on at least four ships, with one vessel abandoned after a drone attack set it on fire.
Ukraine Proposes Black Sea Truce While Striking A Baltic Oil Terminal
Ukraine has proposed a mutual suspension of attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea, passing the offer to Russia through a third party after weeks of escalating strikes against merchant ships and port infrastructure.
Sanctioned Tanker Transits The Bosphorus Wrapped In Anti-Drone Netting
A sanctioned Suezmax tanker carrying about a million barrels of Russian crude has passed through the Bosphorus visibly modified to withstand drone attack, according to observers who photographed the vessel from the Istanbul shoreline.
Russia Deploys Floating Sentry Positions Against Drone Attacks
Russian forces have begun deploying floating fortified sentry positions in waters where Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels have operated, in the latest of a series of improvised measures intended to protect infrastructure and shipping
Ukrainian Attacks On Tankers Paused After American Request
Ukraine has reportedly suspended drone attacks against tankers calling at a Russian Black Sea oil terminal following a request from the United States, in an intervention driven by the disruption those attacks had caused to crude
Strikes On Danube Ports Push Black Sea Grain Trade Further Into The Firing Line
Russian strikes on Ukraine's largest Danube port have damaged infrastructure and pushed the Black Sea grain trade deeper into the conflict.
Russian Shipping Adopts Cages And Convoys Against Drone Threat
Russian operators are fitting cages and sailing in convoys to protect ships against drone attack, changing how tonnage moves in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian Strikes Hit Warships At Novorossiysk Naval Harbour
Ukrainian strikes have hit warships at the naval harbour of Novorossiysk, adding to pressure on Russia's main Black Sea commercial and naval hub.
Russian Operator Suspends Black Sea Bookings After Boxship Sinks
A Russian carrier has suspended Black Sea bookings after one of its container ships was sunk by drone attack, and a major liner halted Ukrainian calls.
Hapag-Lloyd Suspends Calls At Three Ukrainian Black Sea Ports
Hapag-Lloyd has suspended feeder services to Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi, withdrawing from all three of Ukraine's principal Black Sea container ports over security risks.
Russian Black Sea Crude Loadings Fall 62 Percent Under Drone Campaign
Crude loadings from Russian Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports have fallen to 0.98 million barrels a day from 2.59 million under a sustained Ukrainian maritime drone campaign, BIMCO says.
Ukraine Agrees To Spare Tankers Lifting Kazakh Crude At Novorossiysk
Ukraine has agreed to stop attacking non-Russian tankers and Black Sea infrastructure tied to Kazakhstan's oil exports, after United States officials brokered a deal covering the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk.
India Monitors Six Ships And 166 Seafarers Near Hormuz After Crew Death
India is monitoring six Indian-flagged vessels and the safety of 166 Indian seafarers operating in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz, as attacks on merchant shipping continue across two separate conflict zones.
Three seriously injured as drone strikes Turkish roro off Novorossiysk
Three seafarers were seriously injured when a drone struck the Turkish-owned roro Nadezhda about 20 nautical miles off the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
Ukraine sinks Russian-flagged boxship in Black Sea
Ukraine has widened its campaign against Russia-linked commercial shipping, sinking a Russian-flagged containership in the Black Sea, striking a Greek-owned tanker and hitting three refineries deep inside Russia.
Turkish cargo ship badly damaged as Black Sea attacks multiply
A Turkish-owned general cargo ship has been seriously damaged by drone fire in the Black Sea as attacks on merchant vessels multiply.
Drone war pushes Russia to weaponise commercial shipping
Ukraine says its naval drones have struck more than 200 Russian-linked vessels in just over three weeks, prompting Moscow to arm grain carriers.
Five seafarers killed in Black Sea port strike
Five seafarers have been killed and 12 injured after a strike on a merchant ship working cargo at a port in Ukraine's Odesa region, one of the deadliest single strikes on commercial shipping of the war.
Never miss a move
Maritime, in motion. In your inbox.
The vessel sales, incidents, and market moves worth knowing, sent as they happen.