MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has reported a new drone attack on an oil tanker at its terminal near Novorossiysk, forcing it to once again halt the loading of crude oil.

The company resumed loading of oil in the evening of July 19 following the previous attack on its terminal but halted it again after a drone attack on the tanker near the facility on July 20. "On July 20, 2026, a civilian marine tanker was attacked again at the CPC Marine Terminal. Terrorist attack by air drone was made on tanker Nelsa, which was under loading at SPM-1," the report said.

As a result of hitting the starboard aft body, a fire broke out on the deck and in the tanker compartments between the superstructure and the engine and boiler space. The fire was extinguished within a few hours by the tanker loading crews and the emergency response forces on CPC watercraft, the company said.

"The international crew of 22 people were evacuated on the CPC tugs, except the master and the chief mate. Tanker remained afloat. The oil loading was stopped, oil spill and its igniting in tanks was prevented," according to the report.

"When preparing the attack on a tanker under loading, the aggressor country was aware that it was creating huge environmental and man-made risks, as well as endangering the lives of crew members from different countries. We anticipate the CPC member countries to condemn these attacks and develop practical measures to stop terrorist attacks on the infrastructure for exporting hydrocarbons produced by international consortia in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the scope of strict compliance with international law," the company noted.

On Sunday, July 19, during loading operations at the CPC marine terminal, two seagoing tankers, the Asia and the Nissos Ios, were subjected to a targeted terrorist attack using unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is the largest route for transporting oil from the Caspian region to global markets. The 1,511 km long main pipeline connects oil fields in Western Kazakhstan with Russia’s Black Sea coast where oil is loaded onto tankers via the CPC’s marine terminal. Among CPC shareholders are Russia (via Transneft), Kazakhstan (via KazMunayGas), structures of Chevron, Lukoil, ExxonMobil, a joint venture of Rosneft and Shell.