Kazakhstan said Tuesday that two tankers linked to crude oil exports were hit close to a terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, without giving further details.
The Energy Ministry confirmed media reports about two oil tankers, the Matilda and the Delta Harmony, being hit by drones in the Black Sea near the CPC terminal, situated near the Russian port city of Novorossiysk.
It said in a statement on Telegram that the attack on the Matilda, which it said is flying the Maltese flag and chartered by a subsidiary of Kazakh state-owned oil and gas company KazMunayGas, caused no casualties or injuries among the crew.
"According to a preliminary assessment by technical services, the tanker remains seaworthy and no signs of critical hull damage have been identified at this stage," it said.
Regarding the Delta Harmony, which it said is flying the Liberian flag, the statement said the strike caused a fire that was later extinguished and no crew members were injured.
"According to the operational headquarters at the time of the incident, loading of crude oil into the vessel had not yet commenced and the cargo tanks were empty," it said, noting the vessel was waiting to load when it was struck.
"Therefore, no damage was caused to the export resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan," it said, adding that the ministry is coordinating with KazMunayGas, the CPC's administration and the shipowners to "ensure the safety of logistics chains and the continuity of export supplies."
Bloomberg, citing an anonymous person familiar with the matter, reported that the Matilda, which it said is managed by the Greek shipping company, Thenamaris, as well as another vessel, the Delta Harmony, which is managed by the Greek shipping company, Delta Tankers, were attacked near the CPC terminal.
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry announced earlier that oil loading at the CPC terminal continued to be carried out via a single-point mooring unit.
"The ministry continues to continuously monitor the situation and is in direct contact with international partners and the consortium operator,” said Asel Serikpaeva, the ministry’s official representative, according to the Kazinform news agency.
No one has taken responsibility for the attacks.
Last November, the CPC announced that one of its single-point mooring units was damaged following an attack by unmanned boats.
Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out that attack on the Black Sea port the following day, while Kazakhstan issued a protest for "another deliberate attack” on the CPC terminal, saying it expects Ukraine to take "effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
In response, Kyiv said it has taken into account Astana’s concerns regarding the CPC infrastructure, and none of its actions are directed against Kazakhstan or any other third party, stressing operations are aimed at "repelling full-scale Russian aggression.”
