ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 14. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan has initiated urgent talks with ambassadors from several European countries, as well as with the United States and other international partners, following the drone attacks on three tankers en route to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) marine terminal in the Black Sea on January 13, 2026, Trend reports via the Kazakh MFA.
The talks revolve around the necessity of implementing robust strategies to safeguard hydrocarbon transportation, particularly along maritime routes, while adhering closely to international law.
"The Republic of Kazakhstan is not a party to any armed conflict, makes a significant contribution to strengthening global and European energy security, and ensures the uninterrupted supply of energy resources in full compliance with established international norms. In this regard, we note that the tankers in question had all the necessary permits and were equipped with the required identification equipment," stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry also highlighted that the increasing number of incidents reflects the growing risks to the functioning of international energy infrastructure and called on partners to engage in close cooperation to develop joint measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is an international oil transportation initiative involving Russia, Kazakhstan, and several major extraction companies, featuring a pipeline system extending over 1,500 kilometers. The pipeline serves as a crucial conduit for oil from vast fields in Western Kazakhstan, along with Russian producers. Crude oil is then delivered to the CPC marine terminal in the South Ozereevka region near Novorossiysk, where it is loaded onto tankers for global distribution. The CPC pipeline is responsible for transporting up to 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
On January 13, the Matilda tanker, chartered by Kazakhstan’s Kazmortransflot, was hit twice by drones while waiting to load oil near the CPC terminal in the Black Sea. The vessel sustained damage to its deck but remained seaworthy and has since departed the area. Another tanker, Delta Harmony, also suffered damage during the attack, which resulted in a brief fire that was quickly extinguished. No injuries or marine pollution occurred. Following the incident, insurers increased war-risk insurance premiums for ships in the Black Sea, indicating heightened security concerns for energy logistics in the region.
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