ASTANA – A tanker loading Kazakh oil at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal was attacked by drones on July 30, causing a fire on board and suspending loading operations. No casualties or oil spill were reported. According to CPC, the tanker Nissos Sifnos under the flag of the Marshall Islands, carrying crude oil from Tengizchevroil, was targeted at the CPC Single Point Mooring Unit No.
3 while receiving oil. The attack caused a fire in the manifold area on the vessel’s cargo deck. The fire was extinguished by the tanker’s crew with assistance from three CPC support vessels. The tanker remained afloat, and specialists are assessing the damage. No CPC employees, contractor personnel or crew members were injured.
Medical assistance and evacuation were not required. Oil loading operations were stopped, while CPC pipeline facilities continue operating normally. Another tanker, Marathi, flying the Isle of Man flag and approaching the CPC marine terminal for loading, was also attacked in territorial waters approximately six nautical miles from the facility.
CPC stated that the incident disregarded previous calls by Kazakhstan and other CPC shareholders, including through the U.S. State Department, against the use of force targeting international energy infrastructure. The attack poses risks to global energy security, international energy trade and the economic interests of Kazakhstan, CPC shareholders and oil companies using the route, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Eni, TotalEnergies and Shell.
“Such terrorist attacks also endanger the lives of international tanker crews and create significant environmental risks in the Black Sea, as a strike on a tanker near loading facilities could have resulted in the vessel catching fire and caused a major oil spill,” reads the CPC statement.
The incident comes amid ongoing Kazakhstan-US discussions on energy cooperation and the security of the CPC route. On July 29, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev held a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which the officials discussed bilateral cooperation, preparations for President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s upcoming visit to the United States for the G20 Summit and the situation surrounding the CPC.
On July 30, Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov also met with U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Julie Stufft to discuss energy cooperation, regional energy security, reliable export infrastructure and the stability of global energy supplies.