Kazakhstan has decided to suspend oil exports via the pipeline to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Novorossiysk, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources. Deliveries were supposed to stop from July 21, though it was not immediately clear whether the halt had taken effect.
Sources told the agency that tanker owners were reluctant to send vessels for loading at the facility. Over two days — July 19 and 20 — Ukrainian drones struck three tankers near the CPC terminal: the Asia, Nissos Ios, and Nelsa. Two of the vessels caught fire. By July 20, Ukrainian commander of unmanned systems Robert Brovdi reported more than 180 vessels hit in the Black and Azov seas.
The CPC terminal is the largest export channel for Kazakh oil, handling about 80% of the country's crude produced jointly with international corporations including ExxonMobil and Shell. Kazakhstan is Europe's second-largest oil supplier.
If the pipeline halt lasts through the end of the week, Kazakh oil companies will have to reduce production, Bloomberg noted.
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks on civilian tankers near the terminal, calling them "deliberate acts aimed at destabilizing legitimate international trade and global energy markets." The ministry said it would seek full compensation for damages.
Ukraine's ambassador to Kazakhstan, Viktor Maiko, denied Ukrainian involvement in the strikes: "There is no evidence that these attacks were carried out by the Ukrainian side."