Oil tanker operated by Greek company attacked off Russian coast

An oil tanker operated by a Greek company was attacked in the Russian part of the Black Sea. Bloomberg reported on the incident on August 17.

At the time of the first reports, it had not been reliably established who was behind the attack. Details on the nature of the damage to the vessel, possible injuries and consequences for shipping are being clarified.

The incident occurred amid a sharp increase in risks for oil shipping in the Black Sea. In recent months, several tankers have been hit near Novorossiysk, through which Russia exports its own oil and which is also the main route for supplies of Kazakh oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system.

In July, several vessels operating in the area of the CPC sea terminal were attacked. After that, the Greek authorities recommended that Greek merchant ships calling at Russian Black Sea ports strengthen security measures.

The situation around Novorossiysk is especially sensitive for the global oil market. About 80% of Kazakh oil is exported through the CPC terminal, and the consortium includes American Chevron and ExxonMobil.

According to the Financial Times, in late July US Vice President JD Vance asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacks on tankers using the CPC terminal. The Ukrainian side then agreed not to strike the consortium's infrastructure and foreign vessels, unless they are under Ukrainian sanctions and not transporting Russian oil or other Russian cargo.

At the same time, Ukraine continues to strike Russian military and related facilities in the Novorossiysk area. Kyiv explains its campaign against Russian oil infrastructure by the need to reduce the revenues Moscow uses to finance the war.

Who exactly attacked the Greek tanker on August 17 was not officially confirmed at the time of publication.

Based on materials from: Bloomberg, Financial Times