Ukraine-Led Group Urges IMO Action on Black Sea Ship Attacks
Ukraine and 34 other countries, joined by the European Commission, have asked the International Maritime Organization to respond to the growing number of attacks on merchant ships and ports in the Black Sea. Their joint paper is before the 138th session of the IMO Council, meeting at IMO headquarters in London from 2 to 6 November. The attacks centre on the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi on the north-western Black Sea coast, and on the shipping corridor that serves them.
The submission uses Ukrainian figures. In July 2026 alone, 37 ships were affected by Russian attacks, with 23 seafarers and maritime workers killed and 12 injured. Of those ships, 19 were trading to or from the three ports, which handled 131 ship calls that month. By early August there had been 67 attacks on port facilities, 35 on civilian ships in port areas and 22 on ships using the special maritime corridor. Lighthouses were also hit, and a maritime pilot was killed on board a ship.
Since the corridor opened in August 2023, the Greater Odesa ports have handled more than 209 million tonnes of cargo, including about 124 million tonnes of grain, carried by over 8,200 ships.
The countries want the Council to condemn the attacks, ask the IMO Secretary-General to monitor conditions, and improve information sharing, including notices about affected seafarers. The paper does not create binding rules.
Seafarers on Black Sea trades remain directly exposed to these attacks. Better reporting through the IMO could help families, unions and companies get faster and clearer news about crews caught up in incidents.
