Two Greek-operated crude oil tankers were struck by drones near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) offshore terminal in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk early Thursday. No crew members were injured and no oil spills was reported, maritime security officials said.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Nissos Sifnos was loading crude oil at one of the terminal’s single-point moorings when it was hit, according to maritime security company Marisks. The strike sparked a fire near the cargo deck’s oil intake manifolds, but the crew extinguished the blaze with assistance from three CPC support vessels.
The vessel remained afloat and stable, with damage assessments underway. Loading operations at the berth were temporarily suspended for safety inspections. The tanker was loading crude produced by Tengizchevroil, a Kazakhstan-based venture in which US energy giant Chevron holds a stake.
A second tanker, the Isle of Man-flagged Marathi, was attacked about 6 nautical miles from the CPC terminal while approaching to load crude. CPC confirmed the incident but did not disclose the extent of any damage. No pollution was reported.
The attacks underscore growing risks to commercial shipping and energy infrastructure in the Black Sea, where the war between Russia and Ukraine has increasingly threatened maritime traffic and oil exports.
