The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan announced on July 20 that an oil spill was avoided following a drone attack on the tanker NELSA at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in the Black Sea. The agency confirmed no casualties occurred and no oil spill materialized.
After the impact, a fire broke out on the vessel but was swiftly extinguished. The technical condition of the tanker and the incident’s consequences are currently under review.
Kazakh Ministry of Energy officials maintain continuous communication with CPC personnel throughout the event.
Separately, the CPC press service reported another drone attack on a civilian tanker on the same day. The device struck the vessel’s starboard side, impacting the stern between the superstructure and engine and boiler room. All 22 crew members were successfully evacuated, and the ship remained buoyant. The incident highlighted that the aggressor nation was well aware of the significant environmental and human risks associated with such actions.
