Oil loading at the Novorossiysk terminal in the Black Sea of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), through which Kazakh oil is transported to the European market, has been temporarily suspended following drone attacks. The incident has raised serious concerns regarding Europe’s energy security.
According to sea-news.az that the oil-receiving tankers “ASIA” and “NISSOS IOS” at the terminal were subjected to a UAV attack. As a result of the attack, a fire broke out on one of the vessels but was extinguished in a short time. No injuries were reported during the incident, and no oil spill into the sea was recorded.
The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan stated that the loading systems were not damaged, but operations were temporarily suspended for security reasons. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan condemned the attack on civilian vessels, assessing it as a blow to the country’s economic interests and the global energy market.
It should be noted that the 1,510-kilometer CPC pipeline accounts for 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. This route is of strategic importance for Central and Southeastern European countries, led by Romania.
