(July 20): A key Kazakh oil-export terminal on the Black Sea again halted loadings following a drone strike, threatening supplies that have become increasingly important for European refineries as an alternative to Middle East barrels.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal on Russia’s coast had briefly resumed operations on Sunday evening, shortly after drones hit two vessels that loaded crude from two of the facility’s moorings, the CPC press service said in a Telegram statement. However, on Monday morning a drone attacked yet another crude tanker, the Nelsa, loading at the terminal’s mooring one, the consortium said.

“Oil loadings have been halted,” while oil spills have been prevented, according to the statement. Fire at the Nelsa was put out within several hours, CPC said, calling the strike “a terrorist attack".

Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry confirmed the incident in a separate statement, adding that consequences of the attack are still being assessed.

Any further attacks on CPC facilities risk longer-term disruptions and may result in lower oil flows from Kazakhstan just as crude shipments via the Strait of Hormuz have all but stopped again amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the US.

The CPC is the largest export route for Kazakh oil, shipping barrels from projects developed in partnerships with international oil majors such as Chevron Corp, ExxonMobil Holdings Corp and Shell plc. It also handles some oil from Russia but the facility is not under international energy sanctions and CPC-linked vessels are not considered part of Russia’s shadow oil fleet.

CPC facilities have been a target of Ukrainian attacks earlier this year and in 2025. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier on Monday said Ukraine hit two shadow-fleet oil vessels in the Black Sea, without specifying whether either attack happened at the CPC terminal.

Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their mutual strikes on vessels and port facilities in the Black Sea in recent days, aiming to disrupt each other’s commodity flows as the war in Ukraine is well into its fifth year.

Uploaded by Arion Yeow