Drone strike forces CPC Black Sea oil terminal to halt

A key oil export terminal on the Black Sea was forced to halt operations on Monday, July 20, following a drone strike on a crude tanker, marking the latest in a series of attacks that threaten to disrupt a vital energy corridor for Kazakhstan and European refineries. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal, located near Novorossiysk on Russia’s coast, suspended loadings after a drone attacked the tanker Nelsa at one of its moorings. A fire on the vessel was extinguished within several hours, and no oil spill occurred, according to a CPC statement.

The terminal had only just resumed operations on Sunday evening, shortly after drones struck two other tankers, the ASIA and the NISSOS IOS, on July 19. The Kazakh Ministry of Energy confirmed those tankers were loading Kazakh crude when attacked. Crews extinguished fires on both vessels, and no injuries were reported. Authorities stated that no damage was sustained by the terminal's offshore moorings and that no oil was spilled. The ministry condemned the strikes on civilian energy infrastructure, warning they pose risks to global energy security and disrupt international energy trade.

The CPC pipeline is the primary export route for...