Operations at one of the world's most important oil export gateways - a transit point for about 80% of Kazakhstan's crude oil to the market - have been suspended after an offshore pumping post was severely damaged in an attack in the early morning of November 29, according to Caspian pipeline Group (C pipeline Consortium - CPC).
The CPC said the incident occurred at 4:06 a.m. Moscow time, when seaborne drones (unmanned boats) crashed into the single-trip anchorage system No. 2 (SMP-2) at the Novorossiysk port area on the Black Sea coast. The explosion caused serious damage to the equipment cluster, forcing the system to activate emergency protection mode and close the entire connecting pipeline.
According to initial information, there were no oil spilled into the sea and no casualties were recorded in the operation team. However, the CPC affirmed that "it is not possible to continue operating SMP-2", which means that export activities through this buoy point will be stagnant.
Currently, no one has come forward to take responsibility. However, the attack continued a series of similar incidents that were believed to be related to Ukraine.
In September, drones attacked the port of Novorossiysk, damaging the CPC office.
In February, drones targeted the group's Kropotkinskaya pumping station.
Recently, according to Interfax - Ukraine quoted from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), two Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea were hit by naval drones.
CPC - a consortium of energy groups of Russia, the US, Kazakhstan and many European countries - described the incident as a deliberate attack on infrastructure serving the interests of many countries.
The statement stressed that the CPC has never been subject to any sanctions, reflecting its role in ensuring benefits for Western shareholders.
Faced with the risk of prolonged disruption, Kazakhstan has activated the oil diversion plan to alternative pipelines, in order to maintain exports in the context of CPC as the main transport route.
According to the CPC, this was the third attack on a civil facility protected under international law. Previously, Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, warned that Ukraine was preparing to increase sabotage of internationally owned energy assets.
Established in 1992, the CPC is responsible for the construction and operation of a 1,500km pipeline connecting oil fields in western Kazakhstan with the port of Novorossiysk. This is the export artery of Kazakhstan's oil. Last year alone, the system transported about 63 million tons of oil, of which 74% belonged to foreign customers.
This sea drone attack not only paralyzed an important link but also continued to raise concerns about the security of global energy infrastructure, especially in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict expanding to international targets.
