Kazakhstan's key oil terminal on the Black Sea has been shut down following a drone attack

A key terminal for exporting Kazakhstani oil on the Black Sea has suspended loading for the second time in a day following a drone attack, Bloomberg reported. This poses a threat to shipments that are becoming increasingly important to European oil refineries as an alternative to crude from the Middle East, the agency explains.

A terminal belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) — on the Russian Black Sea coast briefly resumed operations on Sunday evening following drone strikes on vessels at the terminal’s berths on July 19, the CPC press service reported. However, on the morning of Monday, July 20, another drone attacked the tanker Nelsa, which was being loaded at the terminal’s quay, the consortium said. “Oil loading has been suspended,” though an oil spill was avoided, according to a CPC statement. The fire on the Nelsa was extinguished within a few hours, the consortium reported.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy confirmed the incident, adding that it is still assessing the impact of the attack, according to Bloomberg.

New attacks on CPC facilities pose the risk of longer disruptions and could lead to a reduction in oil shipments from Kazakhstan, according to Bloomberg.

The CPC terminals are the largest export route for Kazakhstani oil. They transport crude from wells developed in partnership with international oil giants, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Shell, Bloomberg explains. The consortium also transports some Russian oil; however, its infrastructure is not subject to international energy sanctions, and vessels associated with the CPC are not considered part of Russia’s “shadow oil fleet,” Bloomberg emphasizes.

CTK facilities were already targeted by Ukrainian attacks last year and in early 2026. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy said Monday that the Ukrainian military had struck two oil tankers belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea, without specifying whether any of these attacks took place near the KTK terminal, according to Bloomberg.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor