Kazakhstan has urged the U.S. and European partners to help secure oil shipments after drone strikes hit tankers bound for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal on Russia's Black Sea coast, which handles about 1% of global oil supply. The foreign ministry said three tankers were struck en route, and recalled a November 29 attack that reduced CPC flows. Russia said the Maltese-flagged tanker Matilda was hit by two Ukrainian strike drones; Ukraine did not comment. Kazakhstan called for international cooperation to prevent further incidents.
Kazakhstan Urges U.S. and Europe To Secure Black Sea Oil Shipments After Drone Attacks
FILE PHOTO: Commercial vessels, including oil tankers, wait at an anchorage in the Black Sea off Kilyos near Istanbul, Turkey, December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Kazakhstan on Wednesday called on the United States and European partners to help secure the transport of oil after drone strikes targeted tankers bound for a Black Sea terminal on the Russian coast that handles roughly 1% of global oil supply.
Unidentified drones struck at least two vessels on Tuesday as they sailed toward the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal to load Kazakh crude. Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said a total of three tankers were hit en route to the CPC terminal.
The foreign ministry warned that the growing frequency of such incidents "highlights the increasing risks to the functioning of international energy infrastructure" and called for close international cooperation to develop joint protective measures.
"We therefore call upon our partners to engage in close cooperation to develop joint measures aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future," the ministry said.
Russia's defence ministry said the Maltese-flagged tanker Matilda was struck by two Ukrainian strike drones about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Russian city of Anapa. Ukraine did not comment on the incident.
One of the vessels reported hit was reportedly chartered by U.S. oil major Chevron. Shareholders in the CPC pipeline — which runs about 1,500 km (930 miles) — include Kazakhstan's state oil company KazMunayGas, Russia's Lukoil and units of U.S. firms Chevron and ExxonMobil.
The CPC terminal is a key export outlet for Kazakhstan, accounting for roughly 80% of the country's oil exports. More broadly, Russian Black Sea terminals handle a little over 2% of global crude exports and the Black Sea region is also a vital route for grain shipments linking Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier, on November 29, drones damaged CPC export infrastructure, leading to a reduction in flows. Kazakhstan's appeal to Western partners signals concern about escalating risks to energy routes and seeks coordinated measures to protect commercial shipping and critical export infrastructure.
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