The Black Sea, where thousands of seafarers from all over the world work on ships every day, is a front line. The workers are the victims of a war with no winners. In the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2022, trade in the Black Sea – which both countries border and which is of particular importance for maritime trade in critical commodities such as grain, fertiliser and energy – is threatening lives.

Russia is responding with attacks of its own against the ports targeted by Ukraine’s armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). While Ukraine accuses ships operating in maritime trade with Russia of being part of a ‘shadow fleet’, the attacks intensified at the start of the summer. During June and July 2026, at least 15 seafarers lost their lives in escalating UAV and missile attacks, whilst numerous commercial vessels sustained severe damage and were rendered unusable.

The Turkish-flagged tanker Sabahat Telli, owned by Gemiciler Denizcilik, was targeted by a Ukrainian UAV attack on 10 July at the port of Taganrog in Russia’s Sea of Azov. Chief engineer Kadir Kamilçelebi, who was seriously injured in the fire that broke out on board following the attack, died in hospital despite efforts to save him

On 19 July, the Golden Leo, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel operated by a Mersin-based company, was struck near Odessa; following the severe impact, it capsized and sank on 26 July. A total of 10 people lost their lives in the incident, including nine crew members – four of whom were Indian – and one Ukrainian pilot. Similarly, on 22 July, the Turkish-flagged dry cargo vessel Reyhan Sarı, sailing off the coast of Novorossiysk, was struck by a drone attack carried out by Ukraine. Savaş Çakar, aged 54, who was on duty in the ship’s engine room, lost his life, whilst two injured crew members are still receiving treatment. During this period, in which ports and fishing vessels have also been targeted; on 22 June, one seafarer lost his life on the Panama-flagged vessel VICTRESS, which was struck at the Port of Chornomorsk; on 5 June, Cüneyt Varlık, a fisherman from Trabzon, lost his life on the Turkish fishing vessel Duru 67, which was targeted off the coast of Crimea; and in mid-July, another seafarer lost his life on an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel that was struck. All three Turkish seafarers were killed by Ukrainian UAVs.

Seafarers, who have no pension rights, social security or wear-and-tear allowances and are viewed by shipowners as little more than a cost, have no right to a collective bargaining agreement; the right to refuse work is only applicable to a limited number of workers under rare protocols. No one other than seafarers themselves speaks out on behalf of those who die whilst working on tankers, dry cargo ships or even fishing vessels.

The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, announced that the Sub-Committee on the Implementation of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Instruments had met in London last week. The meeting’s agenda included a discussion on the situation of seafarers, noting that “priority was given to the safety and welfare of seafarers in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Strait of Hormuz”. The Philippines, which has the world’s largest seafarer population at over 500,000, and India, with more than 300,000 seafarers, have successively announced safety measures. The Philippines specifically emphasised its citizens’ right to refuse work.

In Turkey, one of the world’s top 10 countries in terms of seafarers—with a figure exceeding 200,000—the authorities have remained silent. The Turkish-owned merchant fleet also ranks among the world’s top 12 countries in terms of carrying capacity. Whilst Turkish-owned, Turkish-flagged vessels are being struck, seafarers from Turkey are being torn from life in the midst of the war.

DIRTY POLICIES ARE KILLING PEOPLE

Just two days after the burial of seafarer Savaş Çakar, who was lost in the drone attack on the Reyhan Sarı, the Seafarers’ Platform reported that a defence company—which manufactures corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy and also produces drones—had been visited by the Ukrainian Consulate-General. The Platform stated: “These events show us that states’ priority is not the safety of seafarers, but the growth of the defence industry and the war economy.”

Speaking to BirGün, Platform member Captain Murat Kaya said: “First and foremost, they must know that we will not accept this attack and the massacre of seafarers as a normal consequence of the war between Russia and Ukraine. As the clashes in the Black Sea have intensified, many maritime nations have issued statements outlining their citizens’ rights as seafarers, including the right not to travel to dangerous areas and, should a voyage be undertaken, the right to strict safety measures. However, there is a reason why Turkey remains silent regarding these conflicts taking place right on its doorstep. In our view, this reason lies in the inter-state balance of interests. And we also know that this interest is never on the side of the workers. This is fundamentally the issue we are opposing,” he said.

Kaya stated that the deaths of seafarers were the result of deliberate choices, adding: “We are clearly telling seafarers currently working for, or planning to work for, companies operating routes to Russia and Ukraine that they must not work on those routes; we are saying that at present, no company or state is prioritising the safety of seafarers. It is quite clear that Turkey and the states bordering the Black Sea are remaining silent regarding their relations with NATO and Russia. The war economy is filling the coffers of many states. We seafarers are being killed every day because of these dirty policies.”

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Ateş hattında seyir öldürüyor, published in BirGün newspaper on July 28, 2026.