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Bloomberg: Oil flows halt at Russia’s Ust-Luga Baltic port following reported attack

A major Russian oil export facility suspended operations after Ukraine reported attacking its supporting pipeline infrastructure.

byYuri Zoria

31/01/2025

2 minute read

bloomberg oil flows halt russia's ust-luga baltic port following reported attack sea leningrad oblast facebook/portustluga port-ust-luga-632x356 through major export terminal have apparently stopped what ukraine claims successful drone strike critical

Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga in Leningrad Oblast. Illustrative photo: Facebook/portustluga

Bloomberg: Oil flows halt at Russia’s Ust-Luga Baltic port following reported attack

Oil flows through Russia’s major Baltic Sea export terminal at Ust-Luga, Leningrad Oblast, have apparently stopped, following what Ukraine claims was a successful drone strike on critical pipeline infrastructure, according to Bloomberg‘s data.

Last year, Ukraine intensified its long-range drone attacks against the military and fuel facilities within Russia, significantly disrupting fuel and ammunition supplies crucial for the Russian military. Many of such attacks targeted Russian bomb warehouses at airbases, ammunition depots, fuel processing and storage facilities deep inside Russia.

Bloomberg reports that a person familiar with the deliveries confirmed Ust-Luga flows dropped to zero on 29 January. While shipping data showed a tanker departure early on 28 January, subsequent vessel signals showed a gap in activity.

A Ukrainian Security Service official said on 28 January that their forces had targeted Russia’s Andreapol pumping station on the Baltic Pipeline System-2, which supplies oil to Ust-Luga.

Bloomberg notes that the disruption could have significant implications for global oil markets. The Ust-Luga port typically handles approximately 650,000 barrels per day of crude, representing about 20% of Russia’s total seaborne flows, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. For context, the International Energy Agency projects a global supply surplus of about 725,000 barrels daily in 2025.

Prior to this incident, flows from the port had already decreased without explanation in recent weeks. This reduction coincided with an unspecified temporary incident at the Unecha pump station east of Belarus, as reported by the Belta news agency.

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