Oil exports halted as naval drones disable key terminal in Novorossiysk

It is noted that on the morning of November 29, as a result of the unmanned boats’ attack in the waters of the CPC Sea Terminal, the off-shore berth sustained significant damage and is beyond repair.

"According to the order issued by the captain of the Novorossiysk seaport, cargo operations and other activities were suspended, and tankers were moved outside the CPC waters. There were no casualties among CPC staff or contractors," the company said.

It was reported that at the time of the explosions, emergency protection systems ensured the closure of the relevant pipelines. Preliminary reports indicate that no oil spilled into the Black Sea.

The CPC added that further operation of VPU-2 is impossible, and shipments at the terminal will be carried out according to established rules once the UAV threat is lifted.

Background

Earlier, the Defense Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck Novorossiysk in Russia. The attacks targeted an oil terminal and a large landing ship.

Previously, on the night of November 14, Ukrainian forces struck the Russian Navy ship base in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Region. Ukrainian missiles and attack drones targeted and damaged port infrastructure in the city and the Sheskharis oil terminal.

Sheskharis is a large oil terminal in Novorossiysk port, owned by Transneft and Rosneft. The terminal handles 35–40 large tankers per month — at least 3.5–4.5 million tons of crude oil, or up to 20% of Russia’s maritime exports.

Later, it became known that Novorossiysk port urgently halted oil exports following the drone strike. A state of emergency was declared in the city. The strike on Novorossiysk caused global oil prices to rise by 3%, and overall, the Ukrainian strike stopped 2% of the global oil supply.