Drone strikes cripple Russia’s key Black Sea oil hub, slowing crude exports

Crude oil exports from Russia’s largest Black Sea port remain constrained after recent Ukrainian drone attacks, with key loading infrastructure still offline.

At the Sheskharis terminal in the port of Novorossiysk, two of the largest berths—used to handle Suezmax and Aframax tankers—have yet to resume operations. Satellite imagery from the European Union’s Copernicus Browser, along with shipping data sources, indicates that berths 1 and 1a remain idle following last week’s strikes, Bloomberg reports.

Loading activity has so far been limited to berth 2, which can only accommodate smaller Aframax vessels. As a result, export capacity at the terminal is significantly reduced. Russia’s state pipeline operator, Transneft, has not commented on the situation.

Novorossiysk serves as a critical hub for Russian oil exports, shipping an average of nearly 540,000 barrels per day during the first quarter of the year, according to Bloomberg-compiled data. Its strategic importance has made it a repeated target in recent Ukrainian attacks.

Kyiv is seeking to curb Moscow’s oil revenues, particularly amid elevated global prices linked to ongoing geopolitical tensions, including the conflict involving Iran. Ukrainian officials have said the latest drone strike damaged docking infrastructure across multiple berths at the Sheskharis terminal, as well as sections of the pipeline network connecting storage facilities.

Operations partially resumed toward the end of last week when a smaller Aframax tanker docked at berth 2, according to ship-tracking data. However, with major berths still offline, export flows remain below normal levels.

By Sabina Mammadli