Oil Loading Again Suspended from Caspian Pipeline After Tankers Are Struck
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium reported it has again suspended operations after what it called additional “terrorist attacks” overnight on July 30. Two tankers were struck and received minor damage in the latest attacks, which came just days after operations resumed.
Officials from the company, Kazakhstan, and Russia were quick to denounce the ongoing attacks, highlighting it as commercial infrastructure. The company said that pressure from Kazakhstan and other foreign shareholders, including the U.S. State Department, had “apparently been ignored.”
The Greek-owned tanker Nissos Sifnos was loading at one of the single-point moorings in the marine terminal off Novorossiysk, Russia, in the Black Sea. The 157,447-dwt tanker was built in 2020 and is registered in the Marshall Islands. According to the reports, it was struck near the cargo deck’s oil intake manifolds. A fire started, but the crew was able to put it out with the assistance of three support vessels.
CPC reports that it immediately suspended loading to the tanker. The vessel remains stable, and there was no pollution, but a full damage assessment was still underway.
A second Greek-owned tanker, Marathi, was approaching the terminal when it was attacked. It was approximately six nautical miles away when it was struck. There was no indication of damage from CPC. Built in 2018, the 1499,92-dwt tanker is registered in Malta.
After the second attack, CPC reported that it had suspended all loading operations. It asserted, however, that the pipeline was operating normally and not damaged.
Tracking data cited by Reuters, however, showed that at least five tankers immediately diverted away from CPC. The report said the tankers were signaling that they were now going to Spain or Turkey, or holding in the Black Sea.
CPC had just reported as of July 27 that operations had resumed after the prior round of attacks on July 19 and 20, when three tankers were struck. CPC had said that two tankers were back at the mooring and that the pipeline was operating normally.
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The pipeline carries about 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil exports and was developed by a consortium that involves Chevron, ExxonMobil, Eni, Total, Shell, and others. Official protests have been waged about the attacks, with CPC noting it is an international facility loading to vessels chartered by foreign suppliers. The terminal, however, is located in Russia, and much of the nearly 1,000-mile pipeline crosses Russia.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of staging the repeated attacks, saying it was harming the economic interests of Kazakhstan and others, including the United States. They demanded that the United States and the United Nations get involved and urged a statement condemning the repeated attacks.
