Russia has ordered a 90-day suspension of operations at one of the key berths at the Novorossiysk port, a vital Black Sea oil export route. This decision follows a recent directive to temporarily shut down two of the three moorings at a major terminal used for exporting Kazakhstan’s oil.
On Wednesday, Transneft, Russia’s state-run pipeline operator, confirmed that safety inspections conducted by the country’s transport authority led to the halt at berth 8 of the Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NCSP). These inspections are part of a broader review initiated by Russia’s Federal Agency for Transport Supervision, which was triggered by an oil spill in the Kerch Strait in December 2024.
Transneft stated, “A temporary ban on operations has been imposed on oil loading at berth 8. NCSP must resolve all identified violations by June 30, 2025,” according to a statement reported by Reuters.
However, analysts suggest that this move will not significantly disrupt Russian oil exports. The berth is not frequently used for loading, and none of the 23 tankers that loaded Russian crude at Novorossiysk in March utilized berth 8. Tanker tracking data from Bloomberg shows that berth 8 is mainly used for loading petroleum products, and it has seen no vessels moor there since February.
Despite the limited impact from this halt, the suspension of two of three moorings at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, which handles most of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, is expected to have a much larger effect. This terminal, located on the Black Sea, is crucial for shipping oil from Kazakhstan’s major fields operated by international companies such as Chevron and ExxonMobil. Russia owns a 24% stake in CPC, making it the largest shareholder.
The suspension of the SPM-1 and SPM-2 moorings at the CPC terminal, ordered on Monday, could significantly affect Kazakhstan’s oil shipments.
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