A Turkish-owned general cargo vessel sustained serious damage in a drone strike in the Black Sea, part of an escalating pattern of attacks targeting merchant ships and energy infrastructure across the region.

The 6,555 dwt ATA 2, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier built in 2006, was transporting a cargo of corn after departing the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk when it was reportedly hit by three Russian drones on Thursday. Footage from the scene showed a substantial hole in the vessel's upper deck, along with damage to the bridge and accommodation block. All 13 crew members were confirmed safe. The ship maintained limited manoeuvrability via a backup manual control system and set course for Romania, with repairs anticipated in Turkey.

The strike on ATA 2 was one of at least three reported attacks against commercial vessels serving Ukrainian ports within a 24-hour window. Russia's defence ministry has asserted that recent strikes on ships and port facilities near Odesa and Mykolaiv targeted military cargoes, though it has frequently offered no independent evidence to substantiate those claims. The attacks come as Ukraine continues to move agricultural exports through a unilateral corridor along the western Black Sea coast established after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, keeping seaborne trade flowing but leaving crews and vessels exposed to sustained risk.

The incident has deepened frustration among Turkish and Azerbaijani seafarers. Representatives of Azerbaijani maritime unions stated that crews must be provided with complete information regarding trading routes and war-related risks, emphasizing that increased wages are no substitute for a seafarer's fundamental right to safety.

Turkey-linked vessels have been repeatedly targeted throughout July. Earlier in the month, the master of the Atlas Bey was killed in an attack. Days later, the Turkish-owned Golden Leo sank following a strike that claimed the lives of crew members and a Ukrainian pilot.

At the eastern end of the Black Sea, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) suspended tanker loadings near Novorossiysk after separate drone strikes targeted two Greek-controlled suezmax tankers, the Nissos Sifnos and the Marathi. Novorossiysk serves as the primary export terminal for CPC crude, making the facility a recurrent pressure point for regional energy logistics.

The Nissos Sifnos was struck near its cargo manifold while actively loading, igniting a fire that was extinguished by the crew and supporting vessels. The tanker remained in stable condition, and no pollution was reported. The Marathi came under attack while approaching the terminal.

In the aftermath of the strikes, at least five tankers diverted course or held position, illustrating how rapidly such incidents translate into lost export capacity. The CPC pipeline system, which handles the overwhelming majority of Kazakhstan's seaborne crude oil exports, has repeatedly been forced to halt operations following drone attacks. Because Kazakhstan relies on CPC infrastructure transiting Russian territory to reach global markets, disruptions at Novorossiysk have no short-term alternative export route of comparable scale.

Karadeniz'de bir Türk gemisi daha İHA'ların hedefi oldu! 📍Ukrayna'nın Çornomorsk Limanı'ndan mısır yüküyle ayrılan Türk şirkete ait Panama bayraklı ATA-2 kuru yük gemisi, Karadeniz'de insansız hava aracı saldırısına uğradı. Geminin yaşam alanlarının isabet aldığı olayda can… pic.twitter.com/WnpxqEMuRY — SavunmaTR (@SavunmaTR) July 30, 2026