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Thank you, Mr Chair. The United Kingdom stands in full solidarity with Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye following the attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea over the past 48 hours. Our thoughts are with the seafarers who have lost their lives, with those still missing, and with their families. The facts so far are these. On 5 October, the Turkish-owned cargo vessel Royad Mammadov, carrying corn from the Ukrainian...
Thank you, Mr Chair. The United Kingdom stands in full solidarity with Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye following the attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea over the past 48 hours. Our thoughts are with the seafarers who have lost their lives, with those still missing, and with their families. The facts so far are these. On 5 October, the Turkish-owned cargo vessel Royad Mammadov, carrying corn from the Ukrainian port of Izmail to Italy, caught fire and sank in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Two crew members were killed. Romanian authorities rescued eleven others. In the early hours of 6 October, two further merchant vessels, the Alfa Watan and the Able, were struck by air and sea drones in Bulgaria’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The Alfa Watan sank. Its crew remains missing. Eighteen sailors were rescued from the Able, two with serious injuries. This is the first such attack on shipping in Bulgaria’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The same day, a vessel carrying rapeseed oil was struck off Odesa, killing one crew member and injuring seven. We commend the Bulgarian and Romanian rescue services, and the crew of the ferry Dioscuria, for their swift response. We will follow closely the investigations now under way. Mr Chair, these incidents did not occur in isolation. On 5 October, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that its forces had struck two cargo vessels in the Black Sea. Attacks that fail to distinguish between military objectives and civilian vessels, or that are expected to cause excessive incidental harm to civilians and civilian vessels in relation to the anticipated military advantage, may violate international humanitarian law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Russian Armed Forces must comply fully with its obligations under international law. The consequences reach well beyond the Black Sea. Türkiye’s Chamber of Shipping has recorded 226 attacks on civilian and commercial vessels since the start of the war, the vast majority of them this year. Each attack raises the risk to crews of every nationality, drives up insurance costs and restricts the flow of food to those who depend on it. Among the crews affected this week were Turkish, Indian and Azerbaijani nationals. The UK is deeply concerned by the far-reaching consequences of successive crises across the global maritime domain. Stable and secure sea lanes are a global common good from which we all benefit. Threats are drastically eroding international security, costing the lives of seafarers, and burdening the global economy – indiscriminately hitting the world’s most vulnerable. The international community must remain united in defending lawful commerce, protecting civilian shipping, and resisting attempts to use coercion against the global economy wherever it occurs. Mr Chair, this Forum exists to reduce the risk of misunderstanding, miscalculation and unintended escalation. When drones strike merchant vessels in the Exclusive Economic Zones of participating States, that risk grows. Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine has consequences far beyond the borders of Ukraine – it destabilises the whole of the OSCE area. This week, it has reached the shipping lanes off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. In August, the Russian Foreign Ministry ruled out a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Ukraine has agreed to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The Kremlin has rejected it. The surest way to end attacks on civilian shipping is for Russia to agree to that ceasefire and to engage seriously in negotiations towards a just and lasting peace. The United Kingdom stands with Ukraine, and with our partners around the Black Sea, in upholding freedom of navigation and the safety of those who work at sea.
Speech Brief