MOSCOW/ATHENS/LONDON Jan 13 (Reuters) – Drones struck two oil tankers in the Black Sea on Tuesday, including one chartered by U.S. oil major Chevron, the companies involved said, as they sailed toward a terminal on the Russian coast.
Both were en route to the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal, a loading point for around 80% of Kazakh oil destined for international markets as well as some Russian crude, according to eight sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“All crew are safe, and the vessel remains stable. It is proceeding to a safe port, and we are coordinating with the ship operator and relevant authorities,” Chevron said of its chartered tanker.
The attacks come as Kazakhstan’s output cratered in early January with the U.S. oil majors that dominate its oil sector struggling to pipe crude via Russia due to winter storms and infrastructure damage caused by an earlier Ukrainian drone attack.
Kyiv has been targeting Russian energy infrastructure to pressure Moscow to end its war in Ukraine. It was not immediately clear, however, who was behind Tuesday’s tanker strikes.
Ukraine’s government did not comment on the attacks. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates the terminal where the tankers were due to take on board cargoes, declined to comment.
Shareholders in CPC’s 1,500-km (930-mile) pipeline include Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil company KazMunayGas, Russia’s Lukoil and units of U.S. oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil.
KAZAKH OIL AND GAS OUTPUT DOWN 35%
The Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal itself previously came under attack on November 29, when a Ukrainian drone hit one of CPC’s three main moorings at the facility, located near the port of Novorossiysk.
Oil and gas condensate output in Kazakhstan plunged by 35% between January 1 and January 12 compared to December’s average, a source familiar with the data told Reuters, adding that the drop was mainly due to export constraints via the terminal.
Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said on Tuesday that CPC was continuing to export oil via one mooring.
TANKER STRIKES DRIVE UP INSURANCE COSTS
War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea nearly doubled on Tuesday following the attacks, five industry sources said.
Russian terminals on the Black Sea handle more than 2% of global crude. Its waters, which are shared by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Turkey, as well as Russia and Ukraine, are also crucial for the shipment of grain.
One of the tankers attacked on Tuesday, the Delta Harmony, is managed by Greece’s Delta Tankers, LSEG data showed. According to the sources, it was expected to load Kazakh-produced oil from Tengizchevroil, a unit of U.S. oil major Chevron.
Delta Tankers confirmed later that it was investigating a security incident on board Delta Harmony, which was hit with a projectile at 0512 GMT while the vessel was off the coast of Novorossiysk.
All crew were safe, the company said, adding that a short-lived fire was extinguished, and there had been no reports of marine pollution.
Following the attack, the vessel shifted out of the area under its own power.
Delta Tankers said that a second vessel under its management, Delta Supreme, was not impacted, dismissing earlier indications from industry and trade sources that it too was hit.
Another vessel, Matilda, chartered by a subsidiary of KazMunayGas (KMG) and managed by Greece’s Thenamaris, was expected to load Kazakh oil from Karachaganak when it was struck, the sources added.
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry confirmed on Tuesday evening that Matilda and Delta Harmony were attacked by drones.
A Thenamaris official said Matilda was hit by two drones while waiting in ballast condition 30 miles (48 km) off CPC’s moorings. KMG also confirmed the attack.
“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,” the Thenamaris official said.
Two sources in maritime security said that a fire reportedly broke out on board Matilda and was quickly extinguished.
A fourth vessel, the Freud, managed by Greece’s TMS, was also initially believed to have been attacked. But TMS later denied that it had been hit.
(Reporting by Reuters in Moscow, Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis in Athens and Jonathan Saul in London; Editing by Louise Heavens, Jan Harvey, Guy Faulconbridge and Joe Bavier)
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