The tankers Delta Supreme and Delta Harmony, owned by Delta Tankers, as well as Freud (owned by TMS) and Matilda (Thenamaris), were struck. According to Thenamaris, its tanker, which was supposed to load oil from the Karachaganak field, was attacked by an unknown number of drones outside the KTK terminal. The vessel sustained minor damage but continues its voyage.
According to Reuters, the attacked tankers were en route to the "Southern Ozerievka" terminal, located near Novorossiysk, which is a key loading point for 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exported to international markets.
Bloomberg notes that these incidents could exacerbate loading issues at the KTK terminals. Recently, the terminal suspended oil transshipment for five days due to adverse weather conditions, resuming operations only on Tuesday. According to Reuters, KTK canceled at least 19 shipments scheduled for January, as the terminal's operations are limited to one of the three offshore mooring devices (OMD-1), while stormy conditions complicate the loading process.
According to one source, the average daily export volume of KTK for the first 12 days of January was about 500,000 barrels, while the initial schedule anticipated 1.65 million barrels per day. As a result of these issues, oil production in Kazakhstan for the first 12 days of January decreased by 35% compared to December, totaling 1.21 million barrels per day.
Recall that in November 2025, after an attack by Ukrainian unmanned boats, the KTK terminal in Novorossiysk suspended oil shipments due to damage to one of the offshore mooring devices (OMD-2), which has not yet been put into operation. OMD-3 is also currently undergoing scheduled repairs.
