Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry strongly condemned an attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on Saturday, following Russian reports attributing the strike to Ukrainian naval drones.
In an official statement, the ministry declared that attacks on international energy infrastructure cause substantial harm to the economic interests of all consortium participants. It stressed that such actions against purely civilian critical infrastructure facilities are unacceptable under any circumstances.
The ministry emphasized that the CPC pipeline system is a major international energy project, and any violent impact on its facilities poses direct risks to global energy security while inflicting significant damage to the economic interests of participating countries, including Kazakhstan itself.
Immediately after the incident, Kazakh authorities activated a contingency plan to redirect oil export volumes to alternative routes. This emergency measure is intended to minimize negative consequences and maintain stable production rates at the country’s largest oil fields. The situation remains under the special supervision of the Kazakh government.
The attack, which took place in the early hours of November 29, 2025, involved unmanned sea drones that targeted an offshore single-point mooring device (SPM-2) at the CPC marine terminal. The mooring unit was severely damaged and rendered inoperable, forcing the suspension of all tanker loading operations at the facility.
The Novorossiysk terminal serves as the primary export outlet for crude oil from three of Kazakhstan’s flagship deposits: Tengiz, Kashagan, and Karachaganak. In 2024, the terminal handled approximately 63 million tons of oil, equivalent to roughly 1.26 million barrels per day. About 74% of that volume belonged to foreign shippers, including major international players such as Tengizchevroil (led by Chevron), ExxonMobil, KazMunaiGas, Eni, and Shell.
The CPC pipeline, stretching 1,511 kilometers from western Kazakhstan through southern Russia to the Black Sea coast, remains the backbone of Kazakhstan’s oil export system. It carries more than 80% of the country’s pipeline-transported crude and roughly two-thirds of its total oil production. For landlocked Kazakhstan, reliable access to this route is critical for reaching global markets.
This was not the first assault on CPC infrastructure in recent months. Previous Ukrainian drone strikes in September and November 2025 had already damaged administrative buildings and briefly disrupted operations, while an earlier attack in February 2025 targeted a pumping station in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
In response to the latest incident, the captain of the Novorossiysk seaport ordered the immediate suspension of all cargo operations and the evacuation of tankers from the area. Automated safety systems shut down the affected pipeline segment, preventing any oil spill into the Black Sea. No personnel were injured, and environmental monitoring continues under the consortium’s emergency response plan.
Kazakhstan swiftly began rerouting crude through alternative channels, including increased volumes via the Trans-Caspian route through Azerbaijan and additional shipments through the Druzhba pipeline system toward Europe. Industry sources indicate that while full redirection will take time, these measures should help avoid forced production cuts at major fields.
The incident has placed Kazakhstan in a difficult geopolitical position. On one hand, Astana depends heavily on Russian transit infrastructure and maintains close economic ties with Moscow. On the other, it has significant Western investment in its oil sector and has sought to remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The repeated targeting of CPC facilities, which directly affects American and European companies, risks complicating Kazakhstan’s balancing act.
Analysts note that prolonged or frequent disruptions could accelerate Kazakhstan’s long-term efforts to diversify export routes, particularly through expansion of the Trans-Caspian corridor and the Middle Corridor rail network, both designed to bypass Russian territory entirely.
For now, the Kazakh government has made clear its firm opposition to any attacks on the CPC, regardless of the perpetrator. “Energy infrastructure must remain outside the scope of military actions,” the Energy Ministry reiterated, warning that further incidents could have far-reaching consequences for regional stability and global oil markets.
As repair work begins on the damaged mooring and security measures are strengthened around the terminal, oil continues to flow through contingency channels. Kazakhstan remains determined to protect its vital export artery and shield its economy from the fallout of a conflict in which it is not a direct participant.
