Sheskharis terminal halted loading of Russian oil after drone attack

The Sheskharis oil terminal in Russia's Novorossiysk has suspended loading of crude oil onto tankers after a drone attack.

Reuters reported this on August 14, citing sources familiar with the port's operations, as per the report.

Sheskharis is one of Russia's largest oil export points via the Black Sea and the final point of the Transneft trunk pipeline system in the region. Through its berths, Russian Urals and Siberian Light grades, as well as Kazakh KEBCO oil, are sent to the global market.

The resumption date for loading is currently unknown. There is also no confirmed data on the extent of damage to the terminal's equipment after the latest attack. In the event of prolonged downtime, exporters will have to either accumulate oil in storage tanks or redirect flows to other destinations.

Sheskharis is of great importance for Russian oil exports. In 2026, the terminal shipped an average of about 650–700 thousand barrels of crude oil per day. Thus, a shutdown of the facility even for a few days could significantly affect the schedules of sea deliveries from Russia.

The terminal has already halted operations multiple times after attacks in 2026. In early April, loading was completely stopped after a drone strike and fire. Work resumed gradually: at first, Russia could only use one berth designed for smaller tankers, while the main export capacities remained unavailable.

In July, Sheskharis once again barely loaded tankers for several days amid increased attacks in the Novorossiysk area. That shutdown affected about a fifth of Russian seaborne crude oil exports. At the same time, disruptions occurred at the nearby terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, through which the bulk of Kazakhstan's oil exports pass.

Meanwhile, Sheskharis and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal are separate facilities. The current Reuters report concerns specifically the Russian Sheskharis complex. No suspension of supplies via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium due to this attack was reported.

The new loading halt occurred amid increased pressure on Russian oil infrastructure. In recent months, strikes and related restrictions have affected oil refineries, oil depots, and sea export terminals in Russia. Such disruptions complicate the redirection of raw materials between domestic refineries and export ports.

Previously, Russian companies have already had to change logistics after damage in Novorossiysk. In particular, some oil was redirected to refining and other sea ports. However, fully replacing Sheskharis's capacity with other export routes is difficult in the short term due to limitations in pipeline and port infrastructure.