Drones strike Greek-managed oil tankers near Russian port

Tuesday 13 January 2026 - 15:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Drones strike Greek-managed oil tankers near Russian port

Drones targeted at least two oil tankers managed by Greek companies as they waited to load cargo at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near the Russian port of Novorossiysk on Tuesday. Maritime industry sources confirmed the strikes, which represent the latest escalation in assaults on critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea region. The Delta Harmony, operated by Delta Tankers, and the Matilda, run by Thenamaris, were hit while anchored offshore, awaiting their turn to berth, according to reports.

A fire broke out on the Delta Harmony but was quickly extinguished, as noted by the Fighterbomber Telegram channel and cited by Azerbaijani outlet Caliber.Az. The full extent of damage to both vessels remains unclear. Separately, two additional tankers, Freud and Delta Supreme, also sustained hits in the same incident, raising the total to four affected ships. These vessels were set to carry crude from Kazakhstan's Tengizchevroil and oil from the Karachaganak field.

The CPC terminal handles roughly 80 percent of Kazakhstan's oil exports, accounting for about 1 percent of global oil supply. It has operated at reduced capacity since a Ukrainian naval drone strike on November 29 severely damaged one of its three single-point mooring systems, permanently sidelining SPM-2. Kazakhstan's oil production dropped around 6 percent in December, largely due to declines at the massive Tengiz field, amid the disruptions.

The Tuesday attacks fit into a broader pattern of Ukrainian strikes on vessels tied to Russian oil exports. On January 8, the Palau-flagged Elbus was hit by a suspected drone off Turkey's Black Sea coast en route to Novorossiysk. Late November and December saw assaults on several ships from Russia's "shadow fleet," including the Kairos and Virat, prompting the clandestine operators to take longer routes hugging Turkish territorial waters to evade further hits.

Ukraine has acknowledged targeting Russian oil facilities to curb Moscow's war funding. Yet the CPC presents a trickier case, given its international ownership structure that includes Russian and Kazakh entities alongside U.S. oil majors Chevron and Exxon Mobil. Kazakhstan's foreign ministry has condemned the strikes as harmful to ties with Ukraine, while Kyiv insists its operations focus solely on countering Russian aggression without intending harm to third parties.