A major Russian oil terminal near the southern port of Novorossiysk halted operations early Saturday after a naval drone attack damaged one of its three mooring points.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which owns the terminal, said it would resume operations when the drone threat was lifted. It did not say who was responsible for the attack. Ukraine, which regularly targets Russian energy facilities in an attempt to sap the country’s war chest, did not immediately comment.
The CPC pipeline, which begins in Kazakhstan and ends at the terminal, is a major conduit for Kazakh oil and one of the world’s largest by volume, handling around 1% of global supplies and carrying around 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
“As a result of a targeted terrorist attack by unmanned boats at 4:06 am Moscow time single Mooring Point 2 (SMP-2) sustained significant damage,” the CPC said in a statement. “Further operation of SMP-2 is not possible. Loadings at the terminal will be carried out in accordance with established rules once the drone threats are lifted,” it added.
