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Three crude oil tankers have been attacked by drones at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, off Russia's Black Sea coast on 19 and 20 July, forcing the suspension of oil loading operations and marking the escalation in maritime attacks linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Vessel ASIA, image credit: Gianluca Balloni
Russia and Ukraine have intensified their strikes that targeted each other's shipping and energy infrastructure in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. According to the CPC, on 19 July, the Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker Asia and the Marshall-Island-flagged crude oil tanker Nissos Ios were struck by drones while loading crude oil at the CPC terminal.
The Asia caught fire following the attack, but the blaze was quickly extinguished by onboard crews and emergency responders.
Both vessels remained afloat, and CPC reported no injuries, fatalities, or oil spills.
The next day, on 20 July, another drone struck the Cameeron-flagged crude oil tanker Nelsa during loading at one of the terminal's two single-point moorings.
The Nelsa was struck by a Ukrainian drone on the starboard side, which ignited a fire on and below the deck. The crew and emergency teams successfully extinguished the blaze. The vessel remained afloat, and no oil leaked into the sea.
All 22 crewmembers aboard the Nelsa were evacuated by a CPC tugboat while the captain and the chief officer remained onboard.
CPC confirmed that no injuries or fatalities were reported among its personnel or contractors during any of the three incidents. The operator has suspended oil loading operations at the terminal while the situation is being assessed.
The CPC terminal near Novorossiysk handles around 80% of Kazakhstan's crude oil exports. It transports nearly 2% of global oil supply, making it one of the most strategically important energy export facilities in the Black Sea region.
