Three quiet weeks at the CPC terminal near Novorossiysk ended Sunday evening, when a drone found a Greek tanker freshly loaded with Russian oil

Three weeks of quiet activity at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal near Novorossiysk came to an end on Sunday evening, when a drone targeted a Greek tanker that had recently loaded Russian oil. The incident occurred in the evening of August 16, as reported by Bloomberg. According to the Greek tanker's own statement, Skiros, no crew members were harmed and no petroleum products were spilled into the sea.

This marked the first attack on a vessel at the CPC terminal in nearly three weeks, according to Bloomberg. The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported on August 12 that US Vice President Joe Biden had urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cease strikes on CPC infrastructure and on tankers calling at the port of Novorossiysk.

The Ukrainian government reportedly agreed to refrain from targeting the consortium's infrastructure or vessels registered outside Russia, but only if those vessels were not carrying Russian cargo.

The CPC terminal serves as the primary export route for Kazakhstan's oil. Major American energy companies Chevron and ExxonMobil hold substantial stakes in the terminal. Following Ukrainian attacks in July, CPC shipments dwindled to just 1.3 million barrels per day, a decrease of 600,000 barrels compared to May.