Drone attack halts crude loadings at Russia's key Black Sea terminal
Russia's Sheskharis terminal at Novorossiysk suspended crude loadings after a drone attack, halting exports and adding to recent disruptions.
Crude oil loadings at Russia's Sheskharis terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk were suspended on Friday following a drone attack, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The facility, which handles around 700,000 barrels per day, is Russia's primary oil export hub on the Black Sea.
The attempted attack prompted the port to halt loadings and stop accepting crude into the terminal, as storage tanks had reached capacity. One tanker scheduled to load at the port departed for open sea early Friday after the incident, one source said.
Authorities in Novorossiysk issued a fresh drone alert for residents on Friday, signaling a continued threat to the port area.
The disruption comes after a period of strong export volumes. Crude loadings from Novorossiysk reached close to 1 million barrels per day in July and about 800,000 barrels per day in June, according to one source familiar with export data.
The port handles Russia's flagship Urals crude, Kazakhstan's KEBCO blend, and Siberian Light oil.
This suspension follows a series of disruptions to Russian oil exports from the Black Sea coast. Last month, Ukrainian drone attacks temporarily halted loadings at the nearby Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, reducing exports of CPC Blend crude and affecting supplies to major buyers, including Turkey.