Four Greek-managed oil tankers were hit by unidentified drones on Tuesday in the Black Sea on the way to load oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal off the Russian coast, eight sources told Reuters.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the drone attack. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the recent attacks. CPC declined to comment on the attack.
A Ukrainian drone on November 29 hit one of three main CPC moorings near the port of Novorossyisk, resulting in oil exports and output in Kazakhstan to fall.
Oil and gas condensate output in Kazakhstan plunged by 35% on January 1-12 from December’s average, a source familiar with the data told Reuters, mainly due to export constraints via the Black Sea’s terminal.
Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said on Tuesday that CPC continues oil exports via one mooring.
One of the tankers, the Delta Harmony, is managed by Greece’s Delta Tankers, LSEG data showed, and according to the sources was expected to load Kazakh-produced oil from Tengizchevroil, a unit of U.S. oil major Chevron
Another, Matilda, is managed by Greece’s Thenamaris and was expected to load oil from Karachaganak, the sources added.
A Thenamaris official confirmed that Matilda was hit by two drones while waiting in ballast condition 30 miles off CPC.
“There were no injuries and the ship suffered minor damage to deck structures according to an initial assessment, which is fully repairable. The ship, seaworthy as it is, is now sailing away from the area,” the company official said.
Delta Tankers did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Two sources in maritime security said that a fire reportedly broke out on board and was quickly extinguished.
Two more oil tankers, the Freud, managed by Greece’s TMS, and Delta Supreme, managed by Delta Tankers, were also hit by drones near the CPC terminal, three of the sources said.
The CPC pipeline ships oil to the Black Sea’s Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal, close to Novorossiisk in the south of Russia.
(Reporting by Reuters in MOSCOW and LONDON, Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis in ATHENS; Editing by Louise Heavens, Jan Harvey and Guy Faulconbridge)