Kazakhstan responded to drone strikes on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) berth in Novorossiysk.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium's remote moorings in Novorossiysk were disabled by an attack by unmanned boats. Kazakh authorities called on Ukraine to prevent similar incidents and decided to export oil via alternative routes.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on November 29, a drone attack caused a fire at the Afipsky Oil Refinery, and workers were evacuated. The fire was extinguished that same day.

The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs protests the attack by unmanned boats on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal near Novorossiysk, said ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov.

He called the incident "the third act of aggression against a purely civilian facility, the operation of which is guaranteed by international law."

We expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents.

"The CPC plays a significant role in maintaining the stability of the global energy system. We view this incident as an action damaging to bilateral relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future," Smadiyarov said in a statement published today, November 30, on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website.

The remote berth was disabled as a result of the attack.

The attack by unmanned boats in the waters of the CPC Marine Terminal occurred on the morning of November 29. As a result, "the CPC's single-point mooring unit (SPU-2) sustained significant damage," the consortium reported on its Telegram channel the same day, emphasizing that "further operation of SPU-2 is not possible."

Following the incident, loading operations were suspended until the threat of attack was lifted, and the tankers were moved outside the CPC's waters. There were no injuries among CPC personnel or contractors, and no oil spills into the Black Sea, the publication notes.

The consortium emphasized that this is "already the third act of aggression against a purely civilian facility." "The Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station was previously attacked, and the CPC administrative office in Novorossiysk was damaged," the statement said.

CPC transports oil from three major Kazakh fields: Tengiz, Kashagan, and Karachaganak, the publication explains. "Transshipment volume in 2024 amounted to approximately 63 million tons of oil, with approximately 74% of this volume coming from foreign shippers, the largest of which are Tengizchevroil (Chevron), ExxonMobil, KazMunayGas, Eni, and Shell," CPC reported.

Kazakhstan plans to export oil via alternative routes

In connection with the attack on the CPC marine terminal, the Kazakh Ministry of Energy intends to reroute export oil to alternative routes, the ministry reported on November 29, a publication cited by Kommersant.

The plan to reroute export oil volumes has been activated

"The single-point mooring unit VPU-2 sustained serious damage. The unit has been disabled until a full Repair and restoration work complex. The Ministry of Energy emphasizes that such actions against purely civilian critical infrastructure facilities are unacceptable. [...] In order to minimize negative consequences and maintain production rates at large fields, the ministry has urgently activated a plan to redirect oil export volumes to alternative routes," the Kazakh Ministry of Energy said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

As a reminder, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is an international oil transportation project involving Russia, Kazakhstan, and leading oil producing companies. It was created to construct and operate a trunk pipeline over 1,511 kilometers long. The system receives oil primarily from fields in Western Kazakhstan, as well as crude from Russian producers. The oil is transported to the Marine Terminal in Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, where it is loaded onto tankers for shipment to global markets, according to the company's website.

In August 2022, the operation of two of the three remote berths near Novorossiysk was suspended due to equipment damage. According to the consortium, cracks were found in the berths, which have been in operation since 2002. In November of that year, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) reported on repairs.

If the CPC is shut down, Kazakhstan could only supply Europe with about four million tons of oil per year via Azerbaijan and Georgia, significantly less than via Novorossiysk (67 million tons per year). Construction of a new pipeline along the Caspian Sea floor requires coordination with other coastal states, including Russia, analysts indicated in 2022.