The key facts

  • The Black Sea has been recognized as more dangerous than the Persian Gulf: the number of attacks is, by some estimates, more than six times higher
  • In 2026, more than 570 incidents involving vessels were recorded, and at least 40 sailors died — data from Ambrey and the International Maritime Organization
  • Turkey has handed Ukraine and Russia proposals for a ceasefire in the Black Sea

The Black Sea has been named the most dangerous route for shipping

The Black Sea has become more dangerous than any other shipping route in the world — this is reported by the Financial Times (FT), citing shipowners and maritime associations. According to the publication, the region is now more dangerous for sailors than the Persian Gulf: “The Black Sea, a vital corridor for global grain supplies and Russian oil, poses a greater danger to vessels than the Middle East.”

The scale of incidents

According to some estimates cited by the publication, the number of attacks in the Black Sea is more than six times higher than in the Persian Gulf, and in 2026 more sailors died at sea there than in any other body of water. According to the maritime security company Ambrey and the International Maritime Organization, in 2026 the Black Sea saw more than 570 incidents involving vessels, which ended tragically for at least 40 sailors.

Causes of the escalation and diplomatic efforts

FT notes that one of the causes of the escalation was Ukraine’s attacks on Russian vessels aimed at cutting off diesel fuel supplies; they led Russia to intensify strikes on Ukrainian ports. In October, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that in the Black Sea Russia was responding to strikesthat Ukraine had begun to launch. In September, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan noted that the country had stepped up its diplomatic efforts to reach agreements in the region, after which it became known that Turkey had handed Ukraine and Russia its proposals for a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Earlier, off the coast of Romania, a vessel sank after a drone strike.

Why this matters

The Black Sea is a key corridor for global grain supplies and Russian oil, so the rise in the number of attacks directly affects global cargo flows and the crews of merchant ships. The facts presented indicate that carriers have to operate in conditions where, by some estimates, the risk of attack is six times higher than in the Persian Gulf, while the negotiation track through Turkey’s ceasefire proposals has so far not produced the stated result. The publications do not report the details of possible agreements or their fate.