Kazakhstan’s main oil export route has been disrupted after the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) suspended crude intake following drone attacks on tankers near its Black Sea terminal.
The suspension follows a series of attacks on vessels operating near the CPC marine terminal outside Novorossiysk, Reuters reported, citing three oil industry sources. According to the sources, five oil tankers were targeted by drones near the terminal during July, raising security concerns for shipping operators and disrupting export operations.
The consortium announced a temporary suspension of oil loading on 20 July but said its infrastructure had not been damaged. Neither the pipeline nor the marine terminal was reported to have suffered any operational failures.
According to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, the disruption was caused by a logistical bottleneck rather than damage to the export infrastructure. Tankers were reportedly unable or unwilling to approach the terminal because of the security risks, despite the facilities remaining operational.
The developments are being closely watched by international energy companies involved in the consortium. Chevron, which owns a 15% stake in the CPC, said it was monitoring the situation closely.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Energy issued a joint statement condemning attacks on oil tankers and international energy infrastructure. Separately, Ukraine’s ambassador to Kazakhstan, Viktor Maiko, said drone attacks on tankers loading Kazakh crude at the CPC terminal “do not serve Ukraine’s interests”.
The latest disruption highlights the vulnerability of export operations to maritime security threats. Even without damage to the pipeline itself, restrictions on tanker movements can interrupt the flow of crude through one of Kazakhstan’s most important export corridors.
Against that backdrop, Kazakhstan is pressing ahead with plans to expand the capacity of its three existing oil refineries while also considering the construction of a new refinery capable of processing 10 million tonnes of crude a year. The projects form part of broader efforts to develop the country’s downstream oil sector as uncertainty persists over its main export route.
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