Kazakhstan’s oil production has fallen sharply, with total output of crude and gas condensate sliding to 1.63 million barrels per day from a July average of 2.07 million, after the Caspian Pipeline Consortium suspended loading at its Black Sea terminal following drone strikes on tankers.
Output at the Tengiz field alone dropped to 406,000 barrels per day from 925,000, the Energy Ministry said, citing security concerns at the Novorossiysk terminal. The ministry said technical infrastructure remains operational and ready to resume once conditions allow. The CPC pipeline carries roughly 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, linking its western oilfields to the Russian port.
Astana condemned the drone attacks on civilian vessels, which also struck the tanker Nordic Zenith on July 17, and demanded an immediate halt to the strikes while weighing compensation claims. The disruption compounds a May setback when Russia halted oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.