Kazakhstan announces search for new crude export routes after Ukrainian attack

Astana.- The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan announced this Saturday that it will begin to look for alternative export routes after the attack perpetrated today by Ukraine against the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) maritime terminal that exports the bulk of its oil to Europe through the Caspian Sea.

“In order to minimize the negative consequences and maintain the pace of extraction in the important deposits, the ministry urgently activated the plan to redirect oil exports to alternative routes,” the entity stated in a statement.

The Ministry of Energy indicated that “the situation is under special control of the Government of Kazakhstan”.

He underlined that “this type of actions against targets of strictly civilian critical infrastructure are inadmissible” and recalled that KTK is a multinational energy project and the attacks against its facilities “generate direct risks to global energy security”.

Ukraine destroyed a cargo terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) maritime terminal last night, the company reported today.

“Today at 4:06 Moscow time (01:05 GMT) as a result of a deliberate terrorist attack by naval drones in the area of the KTK marine terminal, the VPU-2 cargo terminal suffered considerable damage,” the company indicated on Telegram, according to which this facility cannot be repaired.

The company indicated that “at the time of the explosion, the fault protection systems ensured the closure of the corresponding pipelines. Preliminarily, there was no spill in the Black Sea.”

However, the authorities take samples of seawater in the area and monitor the ecological situation, the consortium indicated.

The remaining terminals of the plant will resume operations “when there is no threat of nautical or aerial drone attacks,” added KTK.

This is the third attack against this company following the attacks on the Kropotkinskaya pumping station and the KTK offices in Novorossiysk.

In 2024, the pipeline transported more than 63 million tons of oil, the majority destined for Europe.

Ukrainian drones have been hitting energy facilities in Russia for months, from refineries to oil pipelines, gas pipelines and fuel depots.