A fourth ship has reportedly been attacked in the Black Sea in an incident involving a bulker owned by the Bangladeshi government. Dryad Global said on Wednesday that the 38,894-dwt Banglar Samriddhi (built 2018) was struck by a missile at 5:25pm local time (1525 GMT) while anchored at Olvia, more than 100 km from Odessa. None of the crew members, all said to be Bangladeshi, were injured and video circulating social media appears to show the ship’s superstructure on fire. “Dryad Global advice that any vessel currently within Ukrainian Ports should seek to leave immediately if deemed safe to do so,” the maritime security consultancy said. “Vessels should ensure they are broadcasting on AIS and clearly state their intentions across VHF. Any vessels challenged by Russian military vessels should comply fully with instructions.”

The Banglar Samriddhi’s owner and manager is listed as Bangladesh Shipping Corp. The state-run company has been approached for comment. If confirmed, this attack would be the fourth on commercial ships in the Black Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. Last Thursday, the 61,100-dwt bulker Yasa Jupiter (built 2019) had its windows blown out by what the owner described to TradeWinds as either a shell or a missile. The next day another bulker, the 85,065-dwt Namura Queen (built 2020), and the 2,200-dwt bunker tanker Millennial Spirit (built 1974) were struck with missiles. The Millennial Spirit attack was confirmed by Moldova, the ship’s flag state. Officials said that two of its 10 Russian crew members were seriously injured and that Ukrainian rescue crews had responded. In addition to the four attacks in the Black Sea, Ukraine accused Russia of seizing two ships in the Sea of Azov while Russian state-run media said another two were attacked by Ukrainian in the same waters. Security sources told TradeWinds that it was unlikely Ukraine carried out the attacks.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, accused Russia of carrying out both attacks while addressing the General Assembly during an emergency session on Tuesday. He said Russia had violated international law in the attacks. On Wednesday, Nato issued a warning to commercial ships, telling them to stay clear of military vessels and beware of mines, automatic identification system manipulation and cyber-attacks. Navigation warnings highlighted by the military alliance include stretches of water near Odessa in the northwest Black Sea, near the Ukrainian shoreline along the Sea of Azov and a large swathe of water just outside the Kerch Strait. “Shipping is encouraged to stay in close contact with national and local maritime authorities,” the Nato warning read. “Shipping should … thoroughly document any incidents and report these via their respective national channels and to the local maritime authorities.”