The Caspian Pipeline Consortium announced on Monday that a drone attack struck the oil tanker Nelsa while it was loading at its Black Sea terminal near Russia’s Novorossiysk, sparking fires on the vessel’s deck and in several compartments. In a statement released on Telegram, the pipeline operator confirmed that while oil loading operations were temporarily suspended, there was no oil spill or ignition within the storage tanks.
The drone reportedly hit the aft starboard side of the vessel between the superstructure and the engine room. The resulting fires were extinguished within a few hours by the tanker’s crew alongside emergency response teams stationed on CPC vessels. The tanker remained afloat following the incident, and its international crew of 22 was evacuated via CPC tugboats, with the exception of the captain and chief officer who remained on board.
The CPC stated that the attack created significant environmental and technological risks while endangering the lives of an international crew. The consortium called on its member states to condemn the action and develop practical measures under international law to protect infrastructure used to export Kazakhstan’s hydrocarbon resources.
The incident followed a separate statement noting that Kazakh authorities had condemned a prior series of drone strikes. The CPC previously disclosed that an attack on its Black Sea terminal had forced a temporary suspension of loading operations after two tankers were targeted, though no casualties or oil spills were reported from those initial actions. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry characterized the incidents as deliberate actions aimed at destabilizing global energy markets, international trade, and the security of global transport and logistics supply chains, urging an immediate halt to attacks on the country's export infrastructure.
