Two grain terminals in Novorossiysk halt operations after Ukrainian attack – Reuters

Two key grain terminals in Novorossiysk have temporarily ceased operations following a Ukrainian attack, according to Reuters, citing four industry sources and Ukrinform reports. Russia stands as the world's leading wheat exporter, with most of its shipments dispatched through Black Sea ports such as Novorossiysk. The country's main grain lobby group had previously cautioned that Ukrainian drone assaults could potentially disrupt grain exports via the Black Sea in the near term, leading to price surges and food shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

An unnamed industry source, who requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the matter, disclosed that the Novorossiysk grain terminal, with an export capacity of 8.5 million tonnes annually, has halted operations. An assessment of the extent of the damage is currently underway. A spokesperson for Demetra Holding, which owns the terminal, confirmed that the facility sustained unspecified damage but declined to provide further information.

NKHP, another major grain terminal at Novorossiysk with a capacity of 7.1 million tonnes per year, also halted operations, as reported by three industry sources to Reuters. OZK, the principal owner of NKHP, stated in a statement that the terminal was damaged but no one was injured. The company added that additional details would be released once available.

In addition to grain export terminals, Novorossiysk also serves as a hub for oil export infrastructure, including the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a joint venture partly owned by U.S. oil giants Chevron and Exxon. The pipeline transports Kazakh oil to global markets. The FT reported earlier this week that Ukraine had ceased attacks on tankers serving the CPC, following a request from U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

There was no evidence that the CPC, or oil tankers collecting oil from the pipeline, had been targeted during the overnight attacks.