CPC resumes crude loadings after latest attack on Black Sea oil exports

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said Nov. 26 that crude loadings have resumed after the latest Ukrainian attack targeting oil exports via the Black Sea.

Confirmation of resumed loadings follows a previous report from CPC – a Russian crude outlet and the main export route for Kazakh oil – that it was forced to temporarily suspend cargo operations from its single-point mooring systems after a Ukrainian drone attack on Nov. 25. The overnight strike was the second in two weeks to hit the Novorossiisk seaport, and also targeted the 240,000 b/d Tuapse refinery, according to Ukraine's military.

CPC said that loading resumed at 12 am Moscow time on Nov. 26 (2100 GMT, Nov. 25) after attacks over the evening of Nov. 24-25. "In recent days, oil deliveries via the Tengiz-Novorossiisk system have been carried out as normal," the statement said.

Ukraine previously struck and damaged the nearby Sheskharis transshipment complex on Nov. 14, which ships Russian Urals as well as Kazakhstan's KEBCO crude, handling some 600,000-800,000 b/d of exports. Ukraine's military said its Oct. 25 attack had damaged loading racks at the key export site; however, Russian authorities have not commented on the incident.

Recent attacks on the major export hub come amid a new US-backed push to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and have been described as some of the "most consequential to date" by J.P. Morgan analysts. Ukraine was previously warned by the US and other Western allies to avoid targeting export-oriented infrastructure, which could drive up global prices or embroil other regional actors.

Drone attacks earlier hit the Kropotkinskaya pumping station -- the largest pumping station on the Russian section of the CPC network -- on Feb. 17, with repair work lasting until the end of May.

In a separate statement, CPC said that it has shipped more oil in 2025 than in 2024. From the start of the year through Nov. 21, it exported over 65.5 million metric tons of oil, equivalent to about 1.48 million b/d. This is more than 9 million mt, or around 200,000 b/d, higher than the same period of 2024.

The launch of an expansion project at Kazakhstan's Tengiz project at the start of the year has supported exports.

According to S&P Global Commodities at Sea, a single crude cargo left the Sheskharis terminal on Nov. 25, laden with over 730,000 barrels of Urals crude. No Kazakh-origin crude was detected leaving the terminal, CAS data showed. Several tankers were observed docked at the terminal using CAS satellite data.