Four drone strikes in four days hit tankers carrying Kazakhstan's oil

By Galiya Khassenkhanova Published on 21/07/2026 - 14:08 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Drone attacks on vessels in the Black Sea tasked with transporting Kazakhstan's oil persisted for multiple days, with Astana condemning the strikes. The CPC route carries around 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports and more than 1% of global supply. In four days, four tankers meant to transport crude oil produced in Kazakhstan were attacked by drones while loading at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal in the Black Sea. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The foreign and energy ministries of Kazakhstan condemned the attacks, stating that they undermined global energy security and the economic interests of CPC member countries. "We regard such attacks as an unacceptable infringement upon the economic interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as deliberate acts aimed at destabilising lawful international trade and global energy markets and undermining the security of global transport and logistics supply chains," the Kazakh foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. According to the ministry, the attacked ships were “civilian vessels engaged in the legitimate commercial transportation of oil.” Astana has demanded that all attacks cease and has asked partner countries to condemn them as well. The attacks are widely attributed to Ukraine, which has mounted repeated drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure throughout the full-scale invasion with the aim of cutting one of Moscow's largest sources of revenue funding its war machine. CPC itself has not formally attributed responsibility for any of the incidents. Ukraine has not publicly claimed the strikes. The timeline of attacks The Nordic Zenith tanker was attacked on Friday while empty and en route to the CPC marine terminal, where it was scheduled to load Kazakh oil. The strike caused a fire, which the crew extinguished. No casualties were reported. On Sunday, tankers ASIA, sailing under the flag of Liberia, and NISSOS IOS (Marshall Islands) were attacked while loading at the CPC terminal. As a result of the attack, a fire broke out on both vessels, which the crews managed to extinguish. According to the Kazakh ministry of energy, Single Point Mooring (SPM) facilities were not damaged, and no oil was spilt. On Monday, CPC reported another drone attack on Cameroon-flagged civilian tanker NELSA, which was loading at SPM-1. The hit caused a fire and 22 crew members were evacuated. The tanker stayed afloat, while an oil spill was prevented, according to authorities. “At present, crude oil loading operations at the terminal have been suspended pending a full assessment of the consequences of the incident,” the Kazakh energy ministry said. Kazakh foreign ministry added that the attacks were a "deliberate" breach of previously agreed-upon procedures for exchanging information about civilian ships coursing in the Black Sea. The ministries said that Astana reserved the right to seek compensation under international law. Four-fifths of Kazakh oil flows through CPC The CPC is Kazakhstan's main oil export route, transporting crude from the country's largest fields — Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak — through a 1,510-kilometre pipeline to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk for shipment to international markets. The route handles more than 1% of global oil supply. The route handles more than 1% of global oil supply and around 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports, making it a critical artery for the Eurasian country's economy. Prolonged disruptions could reduce export revenues, lower tax receipts and place additional pressure on Kazakhstan's budget and currency. According to CPC, the consortium shipped approximately 70.5 million tonnes of crude in 2025, more than three-quarters of which belonged to foreign shareholders. Major producers using the pipeline include Chevron, ExxonMobil, KazMunayGas, Eni and Shell. The CPC press service reported that the oil to be loaded onto the attacked ships was coming from the Tengiz and Kashagan fields. "We emphasise that this is already the fifth act of direct aggression against a purely civilian CPC facility, which is protected by international law," CPC stated. They also noted that the company is not under any sanctions and plays an important role in global energy security. The CPC members include Russia, the US, Kazakhstan and several western European countries. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Xi hails 'new level' in ties as China and Kazakhstan sign €11.4bn in deals Travelling to Central Asia? Discover the natural wonders of Kazakhstan's Zhetysu region Burabay National Park in Kazakhstan receives a million and a half tourists Oil tanker Kazakhstan Drone Strike Black sea