Kazakhstan resumes oil exports via CPC pipeline after drone-attack halt, easing supply fears for Romania

Resumption of loading operations

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy announced on July 27 that the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) resumed accepting crude from producers and restarted loading operations at its marine terminal in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Tankers SEAMAJESTY and MILOS are currently loading crude supplied by Tengizchevroil, which operates Kazakhstan's largest oil field, Tengiz. The ministry said operations will continue based on ongoing security assessments and in compliance with all required safety measures. Officials remain in constant contact with CPC management, major oil companies, and other stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted transport.

Resumption of oil acceptance allows producing companies to continue supplying raw material to the pipeline system and resume export operations via the marine terminal. Subsequent operations at the marine terminal proceed taking into account the current situation and necessary safety requirements.

The disruption: drone attacks and production cuts

The CPC terminal had halted operations after drone strikes hit civilian tankers loading oil near Novorossiysk. Among the vessels affected were ASIA, NISSOS IOS, and NELSA, the latter struck while at a CPC loading facility. Russia attributed the attacks to Ukraine; Kyiv did not publicly comment. Kazakhstan condemned the strikes, stating the ships were conducting legitimate commercial operations and that attacking them posed a risk to international energy security. The pipeline is about 1,510 km long, carrying roughly 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports and moving volumes equivalent to nearly 2% of global crude supply.

To avoid overfilling storage as intakes were restricted, Kazakhstan reduced production. Daily output fell to 1.63 million barrels on Wednesday, down from the July average of 2.07 million barrels, with the Tengiz field, led by Chevron, hit particularly hard. Some industry sources cited by Reuters estimated production plunged from about 2.16 million barrels per day in June to close to 1 million barrels.

Romania's stake in Kazakh crude

Romania relies on Kazakhstan for more than 60% of its oil imports, making the CPC route critical for its refiners. The Petromidia refinery, owned by Rompetrol (a subsidiary of Kazakhstan's national company KazMunayGas), sources 80% of its crude from Kazakhstan. OMV Petrom's Petrobrazi refinery also runs largely on Kazakh oil. During the suspension, Romanian officials scrambled to assess the impact. Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said the government did not expect supply problems but warned that gasoline output could drop by up to 15% if exports did not resume.

For Romania it is important to have access to Kazakh oil. We are currently in a process of discussions with other countries to increase the degree of security in the Black Sea, which will allow the resumption of the previous volume.

Fuel prices and diplomatic response

The halt came amid rising fuel prices in Romania. Diesel was just 2 bani below the 10 lei per liter threshold, and gasoline was selling for over 9 lei per liter in most stations. Interim Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu told Digi24 that the suspension was temporary until security conditions were restored, and that the production cut was a technical measure to prevent overfilling storage. She noted Romania sent its ambassador to discuss with Kazakhstan's foreign and line ministries, and that the issue is also being raised at the European level, since 80% of Kazakhstan's exports pass through the Black Sea pipeline.

Next steps

With loading resumed at two single-point mooring buoys, Kazakhstan can begin restoring production volumes, though a full return to pre-disruption levels may take time. The Energy Ministry cautioned that operations will be continuously reassessed against the security situation. The Black Sea's stability remains under scrutiny, as drone activity in the area has targeted nearly 200 vessels in recent weeks, adding to international energy market unease already stirred by the Iran conflict's disruption of Gulf oil supplies.