Turkey Urges Russia And Ukraine To Secure Black Sea Shipping After Drone Hits 2 Cargo Ships
Turkey has called on Russia and Ukraine to take steps to ensure the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea after drone attacks damaged two Turkish-owned vessels near Russia’s Novorossiysk port, injuring several crew members.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara was concerned about attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea despite previous warnings and said it was closely monitoring the condition of Turkish citizens injured in the incident.
The attacks targeted the Turkish-owned RoRo cargo ship Nadezhda and the containership Yasar after both vessels departed Novorossiysk on Monday evening, according to Turkish authorities.
The Nadezhda, a Cameroon-flagged vessel built in 1978, was sailing towards Turkey’s Samsun port when it was attacked around 20 nautical miles from Novorossiysk, the Turkish Maritime Authority said. The vessel has a deadweight capacity of 4,400 tonnes and is 119 metres long.
The ship had 22 crew members onboard, including 13 Turkish citizens. All crew members were evacuated to Russia, with three suffering serious injuries and 11 taken to hospital, authorities said.
The attack caused a fire in the vessel’s bow, and the ship was left drifting because of concerns about further drone attacks. Turkish authorities later said the fire had been put out and preparations were underway for a salvage operation.
In the Black Sea, the Turkish-flagged cargo ship NADEZHDA has been attacked by drones
A fire broke out on the vessel, as seen in the video, and four sailors were injured, including three Turkish citizens. pic.twitter.com/JPWXCv05al
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 4, 2026
The second vessel, the Yasar, is an 8,500-dwt Panama-flagged containership built in 2003 and measuring 134 metres in length. It was also attacked while departing Novorossiysk, although fewer details were available about the incident.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the attacks showed that the Russia-Ukraine war was affecting civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
“We are deeply concerned that the war between Russia and Ukraine is spreading further into the Black Sea, also affecting civilian vessels, despite all our warnings,” the ministry said.
Turkey warned that further escalation could affect food supplies and urged both sides to take steps to keep Black Sea shipping safe.
Similar concerns were raised last week after vessels with Turkish and Azerbaijani crew members were also hit in the Black Sea. Turkish union Deniz İşçileri and politicians said 35 ships were struck in July, with 23 seafarers killed and more than 40 injured.
The attacks have increased concerns for commercial shipping in the region. Russian media reported that fewer bulk carriers were available to export Russian coal from the Black Sea, as some analysts said insurance companies were becoming reluctant to cover vessels entering the Azov-Black Sea basin.
Container shipping services to Ukraine have also been affected. Last week, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd suspended feeder services to Ukraine due to the deteriorating security situation.
Some shipowners have reportedly redirected vessels away from the Black Sea amid concerns over exports of wheat, corn and other food products from the region.
Turkey said it would continue following the condition of the injured crew members and repeated its call for Russia and Ukraine to take measures to improve the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
References: Reuters, tbsnews
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