The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) suspended oil loading at its Black Sea terminal after drones attacked two tankers near Novorossiysk overnight, the company's press service said.

The tanker Nissos Sifnos, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was being loaded at CPC's remote mooring device VPU-3 when a fire broke out on its cargo deck. The crew and three auxiliary consortium vessels extinguished the blaze. The tanker remained afloat, no oil spill occurred, and no one was injured, CPC said. The cargo sender was Tengizchevroil, according to the company.

A second tanker, the Marathi, was heading to the terminal to receive oil when it was attacked six nautical miles (more than 11 km) from the CPC terminal. According to Marine Traffic data, the vessel sails under the Maltese flag, though CPC earlier said it flew the flag of the Isle of Man.

Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi (call sign 'Madyar') claimed an attack on four tankers in the Black and Azov seas, as well as a boat base, a drone storage and launch site, and air defense elements. He did not name the vessels. Since July 6, Ukrainian forces have attacked 205 tankers, he said.

Oil loading at the terminal has been halted, while pipeline facilities operate normally, CPC said. This is the second suspension in a month; the previous one occurred on July 20 after a tanker attack, with loading resuming on July 27. That earlier halt halved Kazakhstan's oil production, Reuters reported, citing sources. More than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports pass through CPC.

The consortium's co-owners include Russia (31%), Kazakhstan (20.75%), U.S.-based Chevron (15%), and structures of Lukoil and Rosneft. The day before, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed by phone 'the importance of energy security, including the reliable and uninterrupted export of Kazakh oil via CPC,' the State Department said.

Sources differ: Ukraine's military claimed an attack on four tankers, while CPC reported strikes on two vessels, one of which caught fire. Data on the Marathi's flag also varies: CPC listed the Isle of Man, while Marine Traffic listed Malta.