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Russia attacked 52 civilian vessels in the Black Sea during July and the first half of August, according to Ukraine's infrastructure ministry, highlighting a sharp escalation in attacks on commercial shipping and the country's maritime export infrastructure.
The tally includes ships carrying food and other cargoes to and from Ukrainian ports, as well as vessels attacked while already inside port, the ministry said Friday.
The new figures emerged as Keith Kellogg, a former special envoy for Ukraine under U.S. President Donald Trump, visited the Port of Odesa with a U.S. delegation.
Ukrainian officials showed the delegation damage from Russian strikes and briefed it on efforts to keep the country's ports and maritime corridor operating despite the attacks.
"It is important for us that our American partners can directly see the conditions in which Ukrainian ports operate today," First Deputy Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport Serhii Derkach said. "Russia systematically attacks civilian port infrastructure and vessels, attempting to restrict Ukrainian exports and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea."
The delegation also discussed strengthening port protection, rebuilding damaged infrastructure and attracting U.S. investment into Ukrainian transport and logistics projects, including proposed concession projects at the Port of Chornomorsk.
Ukraine has now appealed to the International Maritime Organization over the attacks, warning that they threaten seafarers, freedom of navigation and global food security. At Ukraine's request, the IMO Secretariat circulated the appeal to member states and international and non-governmental organizations with consultative status at the agency.
The attacks have taken a growing toll on merchant crews. On July 13, the AIDA was attacked while unloading fertilizer at the Port of Pivdennyi, killing three crew members and injuring five, according to Ukraine. A day later, the ATLAS BEY was attacked at the Port of Odesa, killing the vessel's captain and injuring three crew members.
One of the deadliest incidents came July 19, when the GOLDEN LEO was attacked while departing Chornomorsk with more than 6,000 metric tons of corn. Nine crew members and a pilot were killed. The vessel later sank on July 26.
The attacks continued into August. Ukraine said the EMIL, carrying iron ore through the Ukrainian Maritime Corridor, was repeatedly attacked by drones on August 5, sparking a fire and leaving the vessel unseaworthy. The MERA QUEEN, carrying wheat from Odesa, was also attacked that day. A Ukrainian crew member was killed after the vessel's hull was damaged.
Ukraine has also increasingly targeted commercial vessels linked to Russia, particularly tankers involved in Moscow's oil trade, as the maritime conflict has expanded beyond naval targets. Kyiv has characterized many of those vessels as part of Russia's sanctions-busting "shadow fleet" or as supporting Russian military logistics.
The latest appeal comes just weeks after the IMO publicly condemned a resurgence in attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. On July 13, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said a series of attacks during the previous week had placed civilian merchant vessels and their crews at risk, even as international attention was largely focused on the Strait of Hormuz.
"I deplore the series of attacks over the past week against civilian merchant ships operating in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea," Dominguez said.
He called on parties to conflicts to respect international law and avoid actions that endanger commercial shipping, warning that attacks on merchant vessels threaten seafarers, navigation and global supply chains. Notably, the IMO has avoided taking a side in its broader condemnation, instead calling on all parties to refrain from attacks that endanger merchant shipping.
"Seafarers should never become casualties of conflicts to which they are not a party," Dominguez said.
Ukraine says the damage extends far beyond the past six weeks. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russian attacks have damaged or partially destroyed 1,090 pieces of Ukrainian port infrastructure and 262 merchant vessels. The ministry puts the combined number of people killed and injured in those attacks at 329.
The escalation is placing additional pressure on the Ukrainian Maritime Corridor, the shipping route established after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2023. The corridor has allowed Ukraine to maintain seaborne exports despite the war, making the Odesa-area ports a critical link between Ukrainian agricultural producers and global markets.
Despite the attacks, Ukrainian officials say keeping the ports operating remains critical to the country's economy and global food markets, with agricultural cargoes moving through the Black Sea corridor to buyers around the world.
