UKRAINE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied attacking a third tanker in the Black Sea, following its attacks on Kairos (IMO: 9236004) and Virat (IMO: 9832559) last weekend.

“Ukraine has nothing to do with this incident” the ministry’s spokesperson said via X. “We officially refute any allegations of such kind made by Russian propaganda.”

The route the tanker took from Rostov to Mersin, Türkiye, through Türkiye’s exclusive economic zone, “makes no sense and suggests Russia may have staged the whole thing”, the spokesperson added.

Turkish authorities said on December 2 that the master of Russia-flagged chemical tanker Midvolga-2 (IMO: 9735139) informed them about an attack, and did not request assistance, with the tanker heading to the port of Sinop under its own power.

A Turkish security source told Lloyd’s List that the authorities were investigating the nature of the incident, as the initial reports were only based on the master’s statements. They had not confirmed that it was a drone attack and were “evaluating all possibilities”.

Security sources in the region told Lloyd’s List that Midvolga-2 was struck by a drone equipped with shrapnel, which injured the vessel’s master and second engineer.

The method used to attack Midvolga-2 differed to that used on both Virat and Kairo, of which Ukrainian security forces took responsibility.

Control Risks director Cormac McGarry noted some peculiarities with the images of damage from Midvolga-2.

The targeting of the ship’s bridge, for example, “would suggest the mariners were the target of the attack. This would not fit with Ukraine’s ordinary method of targeting, nor would it garner it much support with its western allies,” he told Lloyd’s list.

Based on the damage to the bridge, including a partial collapse of the ceiling and blown out door, he questioned how anyone could have survived such an attack.

In a video shared with Lloyd’s List, unmanned surface craft can be seen heading towards both tankers, before explosions are seen.

All crew on those tankers were accounted for.

Analysts expect Russia to mount a retaliation in the next few days.

“This will most likely involve heavy bombardments on port infrastructure that cause damage to adjacent commercial ships; direct strikes on berthed or anchored Ukraine-trading vessels in the Gulf of Odesa; and/or attacks against such vessels while underway in the Black Sea, provided they are not in the territorial waters of Nato states,” said Control Risks maritime security analyst Arran Kennedy.