Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry commented on the July 19 drone attack on the tankers ASIA and NISSOS IOS during loading at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal, reports infohub.kz.
“These vessels were loading oil produced in Kazakhstan. The tankers had international crews on board,” the ministry confirmed.
The attack sparked a fire on the ships, which was quickly extinguished by the crews. No casualties were reported. The offshore mooring units VPU-1 and VPU-3 were not damaged, and no oil spill occurred.
“Loading at the terminal has been suspended until an assessment of the incident’s consequences is completed. Further information on the resumption of oil shipments will be provided as it becomes available,” the ministry added.
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry called such attacks on purely civilian critical energy infrastructure unacceptable. “Any use of force against international energy infrastructure creates risks for global energy security, disrupts the mechanisms of uninterrupted international trade in energy resources, and causes significant damage to the economic interests of project participants,” the ministry stated.