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Samsun-based Kalyoncu Ro-Ro Maritime Transportation and Tourism Ltd. suspended its shipping route to Russia after two of its vessels, the Nadezhda and the LDR Yasar, came under drone attack in the Black Sea, the company told business partners.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the condition of Turkish citizens aboard the ships and expressed serious concern over the war's spread to civilian shipping.
In a written notice to its business partners, Kalyoncu Shipping said: "Security risks arising in the Black Sea region due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine are seriously affecting maritime transport activities. As part of recent developments, our company's LDR YASAR vessel and the NADEZHDA vessel, part of the Kalyoncu fleet, came under unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) attack, significantly endangering the safety of maritime transport activities."
The company said the large majority of its ship crews had indicated they no longer wished to continue their duties given current security conditions, making continued operations effectively impossible.
"Our company always prioritizes the safety of its employees and operational security. For this reason, under current conditions, we have had to decide to temporarily suspend our vessel voyages on the Russia route," the notice said, adding that Kalyoncu intends to maintain its presence in the Russian market and will notify partners in writing once conditions allow voyages to resume.
According to Türkiye's Directorate General of Maritime Affairs (DGM), the Cameroon-flagged Nadezhda, a roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel, was struck by a drone approximately 20 nautical miles off Novorossiysk on Aug. 3 while sailing toward Samsun.
The DGM said the ship had a total of 22 crew members, 13 of whom were Turkish nationals.
According to initial findings, the vessel sustained damage to its living quarters and bow section, with a fire continuing aboard. The DGM stated that following coordination with Russia's Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Novorossiysk (MRCC Novo), the crew was safely evacuated to the Novorossiysk port by Russian naval units.
"According to initial information, the health condition of three personnel may be serious," the DGM said, adding that the fire remained ongoing and that continuing drone-attack risk in the area was preventing rescue operations from being carried out.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Turkish-owned civilian vessels Yasar and Nadezhda were attacked by drones after departing Novorossiysk port the previous evening, with a group of personnel, including Turkish citizens, injured.
"The safety of our citizens is our top priority, and their situation is being closely monitored," the ministry said.
The ministry said it is "seriously concerned" that the Russia-Ukraine war continues to spread in the Black Sea in ways that affect civilian vessels despite Türkiye's repeated warnings, and warned that without preventive measures, further escalation in the Black Sea could have multidimensional negative consequences, including for food security.
The ministry renewed its call on all parties, particularly the warring sides, to urgently implement concrete measures to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
This is the latest in a series of attacks on commercial vessels with Turkish links in the Black Sea in recent months.
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