More than 18 sailors have died in the Black Sea during the war in Ukraine.

Omissions

• The claim understates the true magnitude: multiple reports put total seafarer fatalities in the Black Sea at more than 60 since February 2022, not merely 18.
• The figure of 18 appears to refer to a single recent attack (at least 18 sailors killed and seven missing), not to the cumulative war toll.
• No primary official source (e.g. IMO casualty database, IMB/ICC, national maritime administrations) was found within the search budget; the verification rests on established maritime trade press and reference news outlets citing industry casualty counts.
• The sources found are dated close to or shortly before the session date (18 October 2026 and earlier), so the MEP could have known these figures.

Sources

• SecondaryThe Guardian"The vast majority of the more than 60 fatalities of seafarers in the Black Sea..." and "It is currently, unfortunately, the deadliest sea when it [comes to seafarers]"
• SecondaryBBC News"Ten killed as Russian attacks on merchant ships in Black Sea" — Russian strikes on the Odesa region killed 28 people in July alone, local authorities say; fighting in the Black Sea had been at a stalemate for most of the four-and-a-half years since the full-scale invasion.
• SecondaryThe Financial Express (citing Lloyd's List)"More than 35 merchant ships were attacked in the Black Sea during July, during which 23 seafarers were killed, British shipping newspaper [Lloyd's List reported]"
• SecondaryTradeWinds"...conflict to 24 sailors since the beginning of July" (Black Sea death toll rises as Russian strike kills Ukrainian seafarer)
• SecondaryBedrock News (syndicated Guardian report)"...killed at least 18 sailors and left seven missing. The vast majority of the more than 60 seafarer fatalities since Russia's full-scale invasion in February [2022]..."