(Web Desk) – A major Russian oil terminal near the southern port of Novorossiysk halted operations early Saturday after a naval drone attack damaged one of its three mooring points.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which owns the terminal, said it would resume operations when the drone threat was lifted.
It did not say who was responsible for the attack. Ukraine, which regularly targets Russian energy facilities in an attempt to sap the country’s war chest, did not immediately comment.
The CPC pipeline, which begins in Kazakhstan and ends at the terminal, is a major conduit for Kazakh oil and one of the world’s largest by volume, handling around one percent of global supplies.
“As a result of a targeted terrorist attack by unmanned boats at 4:06 am Moscow time (0106 GMT) single Mooring Point 2 (SMP-2) sustained significant damage,” the CPC said in a statement on Telegram.
“Further operation of SMP-2 is not possible. Loadings at the terminal will be carried out in accordance with established rules once the drone threats are lifted,” it added.
The CPC pipeline carries around 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, according to the US-based Caspian Policy Center.
