Shippingtelegraph: Drone attack hits two Greek tankers loading at CPC marine terminal

Published by shippingtelegraph

A tanker loading Kazakh origin crude at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal was hit by a drone on Thursday.

The Greek Alafouzos family-led company Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp. confirmed the attack in a statement issued on July 30.

The New York-listed company OET said that its 2020-built suezmax tanker Nissos Sifnos was hit by a drone in the early morning of July 30 while the vessel had called for loading Kazakh origin crude at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal.

The company said all crew members were safe and unharmed and that there had been no oil spill or other pollution from the incident.

The ship only sustained minor damages and is continuing its voyage operations.

Caspian Pipeline Consortium confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the tanker Nissos Sifnos while loading crude oil came under attack.

It said there were no casualties or injuries among CPC or contractor personnel, and no oil spill occurred. According to CPC, the tanker did not submit for medical aid or evacuation for crew members.

Crude oil loading has been suspended, with main pipeline facilities operating normally, CPC said.

Additionally, in territorial waters 6 nautical miles from the CPC marine terminal, another Greek-owned motor tanker was attacked on its way to receive crude oil.

The extent of any damage to the ship has not yet been confirmed.

No injuries were reported among either crew and no oil spill or marine pollution occurred.

CPC stated that the incident disregarded previous calls by Kazakhstan and other CPC shareholders abroad, including those made via the U.S. Department of State, against the use of force targeting international energy infrastructure.

“Such terrorist attacks also threaten lives of international crews of sea-going tankers, creating substantial environmental risks in the Black Sea, as a tanker hit near the cargo loading terminals could ignite the entire tanker and result in a massive oil spill,” reads the CPC statement.