Two Oil Tankers Attached by Drones Near Black Sea CPC Terminal

Drones have attacked another two oil tankers approaching the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's terminal on Russia's shores of the Black Sea, further clouding prospects for oil exports from Kazakhstan, which uses the outlet, three industry sources said on Thursday.

The closure of the terminal, which accounts for more than 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports, earlier this week over safety concerns forced the country to cut its oil production, authorities said.

The sources said the HERA and ALATAU tankers should have received oil from the CPC. However, HERA was damaged in the drone attack and set on fire.

While ALATAU was unscathed, it still changed its course.

CPC declined to comment.

Five tankers had already been attacked near the terminal in the past several days.

According to satellite images, no tankers were at the CPC terminal near the port of Novorossiysk on Thursday morning.

(Reuters)