Kazakhstan oil exports stable after Black Sea attack
Kazakhstan energy officials said oil exports via the Caspian Pipeline remain stable after reported drone attacks. The terminal handles most of the nation's oil.
Kazakhstan has announced that crude oil exports via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) remain unaffected and stable, despite reports from Russia regarding a recent military strike by Ukraine on Black Sea infrastructure. The Russian Defence Ministry reported on Monday that an overnight attack on the maritime transhipment complex in the port of Novorossiysk damaged a mooring point and sparked fires at four oil product reservoirs. However, Kazakh energy officials have moved to reassure markets that the flow of oil from the region has not been compromised.
"The work of our oil sector is stable and CPC exports continue to be stable," stated Sungat Yesimkhanov, the deputy energy minister.
The CPC terminal is a vital artery for the global energy sector, handling approximately 80% of all crude exports from the Kazakh territory. In 2025, the 1,510-km Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline transported 70.5 million metric tons of oil, equivalent to roughly 1.53 million barrels per day. The continued operation of this route is essential for the supply of Brent Crude Oil and West Texas Oil to international markets.
Major energy players from the United States hold significant stakes in the consortium, most notably CHEVRON CORP. A subsidiary of the company, Tengizchevroil, which manages the Tengiz oilfield, confirmed that its export activities have proceeded without interruption. William Lacobie, the director general of Tengizchevroil, further noted that the field has returned to full production capacity following earlier technical disruptions.
From the Kremlin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the situation by asserting that the strike was part of a pattern of behavior from Kyiv. He referred questions on the status of operations to the consortium's operator but confirmed that strikes had occurred.
"As we all know, this is not the first time the Kyiv regime has targeted the CPCs infrastructure," Peskov remarked during a press briefing.
While the Ukrainian military has not issued a direct response regarding the CPC facilities, it did confirm that drone strikes were carried out against oil loading infrastructure at Sheskharis, located approximately 15 kilometers from the CPC terminal. The CPC previously experienced a brief operational halt in late 2023 following a similar incident that damaged floating moorings.
