Three oil tankers managed by Greek companies came under drone attacks in the Black Sea on Tuesday as they were heading to load oil at a Russian terminal, Reuters reports, citing eight sources.
The vessels Delta Harmony, Delta Supreme, and Matilda were hit while en route to the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal near Novorossiysk. This terminal handles around 80% of Kazakh crude destined for international markets.
An official representative of Greek company Thenamaris, which manages the tanker Matilda, confirmed the incident: "Two drones hit the vessel while it was in ballast condition 30 miles off CPC moorings. There were no injuries, and the ship suffered minor damage to deck structures according to an initial assessment, which is fully repairable. The ship, seaworthy as it is, is now sailing away from the area."
Two sources in maritime security reported that a fire broke out on board Matilda and was quickly extinguished.
The tanker Matilda is chartered by a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's state-owned KazMunayGas, which also confirmed the attack. Delta Harmony and Delta Supreme are managed by Greece's Delta Tankers. The company did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
According to sources, Delta Harmony was expected to load oil produced by Tengizchevroil, a unit of US major Chevron. Delta Supreme was also awaiting loading. Matilda was scheduled to take on Kazakh oil from the Karachaganak field.
Initially, a fourth vessel, Freud, managed by Greece's TMS, was also believed to have been attacked, but the company later denied this information.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the incident. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which operates the terminal, declined to comment on the attack.
On 29 November, a Ukrainian drone hit one of the three main CPC moorings at the same terminal. After that incident, the port suspended loading operations and tankers were moved out of the CPC area.
Oil and gas condensate production in Kazakhstan plunged by 35% between January 1 and January 12 compared to December's average, a source familiar with the data told Reuters. According to the source, the drop was mainly due to export constraints via the Black Sea terminal.
Kazakhstan's energy ministry said on Tuesday that CPC was continuing to export oil via one mooring.
Attacks on tankers could increase both shipping and insurance costs for those seeking to load oil at Russian terminals on the Black Sea. These terminals handle more than 2% of global crude.
Shareholders in CPC's 1,500-kilometer pipeline include KazMunayGas, units of Chevron, Russia's Lukoil, and ExxonMobil.
