Attack on tanker near Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal and Russian port of Novorossiysk

The Liberian-flagged oil tanker "Skyros" carrying Russian oil was targeted in an attack on Sunday in the Black Sea, near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia, the American agency Bloomberg reported today, adding that there were no injuries or major damage.

The attack on the SuezMax class ship, which was carrying a million barrels of oil, appears to signal a continuation of attacks in the area after a three-week truce, Bloomberg said.

Although the CPC primarily transports Kazakh oil – which represents two percent of global supply – the targeted cargo was of Russian origin.

According to the British newspaper The Financial Times, in early August, at the request of US Vice President JD Vance, Kiev pledged not to target CPC facilities or third-party ships unless they were transporting Russian crude oil, which accounts for five to ten percent of the terminal's traffic.

The attack has reignited tensions over the security of the network, which is shared by US giants Chevron and ExxonMobil, Russia and Kazakhstan, especially as the CPC was already considering temporarily suspending its operations at the end of July due to environmental risks.