One crew member was killed and three others injured on Wednesday in a drone attack on a Turkish-flagged vessel in the Black Sea. It is the latest security incident in the vast body of water, where the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to threaten maritime safety.
Turkish media outlets reported that the MV Reyhan Sarı was carrying coal from Russia's Port of Taman in the Sea of Azov to the northern Turkish province of Trabzon when it came under attack in international waters off Türkiye's Samsun coast. The vessel resumed its voyage after the attack, while the injured crew members were taken ashore for treatment. Turkish authorities did not issue an official statement on the incident, which is suspected to have been carried out by a Ukrainian drone.
More than three years of the Russia-Ukraine war have jeopardized maritime security in the Black Sea. Türkiye has witnessed several drones of Russian or Ukrainian origin crash on its territory, while uncrewed armed naval vessels have frequently washed ashore. In response to growing threats, Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria established a maritime security initiative primarily tasked with clearing stray naval mines in the Black Sea.
Ukraine's navy said on Sunday that Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed five people on board, while another five crew members were reported missing.
According to the Ukrainian navy, Russia fired three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, as it was "leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain."
"This is yet another deliberate strike by Russia against an unarmed civilian vessel flying a foreign flag that posed no military threat whatsoever," the navy said in a statement.
"The attack constitutes an act of terrorism against peaceful navigation and a gross violation of international humanitarian law," it added.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan raised the issue during a visit to Kyiv last week.
"The safety of navigation and commercial security in the Black Sea are of vital importance. I discussed this both with the Russian side during my visit to Moscow and with my esteemed counterpart here. It is an important matter for us and for all Black Sea countries," Fidan said at a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Fidan also recalled that the United Nations had proposed maintaining commitments to energy security and the safety of navigation in the Black Sea even as the war continues.
