MOSCOW/ATHENS/LONDON – Drones struck two oil tankers in the Black Sea on Tuesday, including one chartered by US 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 per cent 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 US 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. (Reuters)
