Overview
- Caspian Pipeline Consortium halted oil loading at its Novorossiysk marine terminal after drone strikes hit the tanker NISSOS SIFNOS during loading at SPM‑3 and the tanker MARATHI about six nautical miles offshore.
- CPC said the NISSOS SIFNOS caught fire on its cargo deck but the crew and three support vessels extinguished it, there were no casualties, no oil spill, and the damaged tanker remained afloat while assessments continue.
- The company reported that main pipeline facilities are still operating even as marine loading is paused, following a string of mid‑to‑late July UAV attacks that have previously forced repeated temporary shutdowns.
- The terminal handles most of Kazakhstan’s crude exports to global markets through the 1,511 km CPC line, and the new suspension has already prompted some tankers to divert or wait for orders, raising near‑term export and insurance pressure.
- Officials and industry will watch damage assessments, security measures at the single point mooring and rerouting of cargoes for signs of longer lasting cuts to Kazakhstan flows and changes in maritime risk management.