The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a key operator for Kazakh crude oil exports via its terminal near Novorossiysk, announced today that operations at one of its major single mooring points (SMP-2) have been suspended following significant damage from an overnight attack.
An operator statement released Saturday confirmed the incident, detailing how the targeted terrorist strike using unmanned boats occurred around 4:06 a.m. local time and damaged Mooring Point 2. “At the time of the explosion, the facility’s emergency protection systems successfully shut off the relevant pipelines,” they reported, adding that preliminary assessments suggest no oil leaked into the Black Sea and staff were uninjured.
The CPC described the targeted attack against its infrastructure as an assault on civilian facilities protected under international law. This incident is part of a pattern identified by the consortium following previous Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure it helps operate.
According to reports cited by Interfax-Ukraine referencing SBU sources, this latest strike aligns with ongoing threats specifically targeting CPC assets from naval drones in the Black Sea region. Earlier last year, February attacks and September drone strikes had already impacted the site previously.
The operator emphasized that shareholders include companies representing Russia, Kazakhstan, Western Europe, and the United States. They noted that no sanctions or restrictions have been imposed on them recently, a point underscored by President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s stance according to Kommersant (October 3), who argued for potential consequences against foreign energy firms following attacks like this one.
Kazakhstan has already initiated emergency procedures to reroute crude oil through alternative pipelines.