Rostransnadzor has slowed down the export of Kazakh oil

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has temporarily decommissioned two of the three remote berthing devices through which tankers are loaded in the Black Sea. Rostransnadzor issued a corresponding order.

Remote berthing devices No. 1 and No. 2 of the CPC marine terminal have been temporarily decommissioned. This is reported by the consortium itself.

"On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation, since March 26, 2025, the Federal Service for Supervision of Transport has been conducting safety checks of water transport infrastructure facilities in the Azov-Black Sea basin during loading and unloading operations with dangerous goods. So, inspections are carried out in organizations operating in the seaports of Novorossiysk, Temryuk, Sochi and Tuapse, etc.,"the CPC said.

Inspections are carried out after the crash of two fuel oil tankers near the Kerch Strait in mid-December.

"In relation to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium — R Joint Stock Company, an unscheduled on-site inspection was carried out from March 27 to March 31, 2025 within the framework of federal state control (supervision) in the field of merchant shipping and inland waterway transport. According to the results of the inspection, the relevant documents were received: an act of inspection, an order to eliminate the identified violations and a protocol on the temporary prohibition of activities at the facilities of the CPC-1 and CPC-2 Military Industrial Complex," the CPC reports. They added that the "Russian Maritime Register of Shipping" has suspended the class of VPU KTK-1 (RS 010784) and VPU KTK-2 (RS 010799) since March 31.

"According to the requirements of the legislation, the CPC decommissioned both devices until the identified deficiencies were eliminated. Thus, all transshipment operations on The Consortium's marine terminal will be operated through VPU-3, commissioned in 2014. CPC shareholders have been notified of the instructions of the supervisory authorities," the CPC added. They did not explain how long the terminal will work with one VPU.

In early February, the consortium reported that oil shipment through VPU-1 was resumed at the marine terminal after the completion of scheduled preventive maintenance.

CPC is the main export route of Kazakhstan's oil. In 2024, 63 million tons were delivered to tankers through the consortium's pipeline system and through the sea terminal. Almost 54 million tons of them are from Kazakhstan.

In February and March, CPC was subjected to three attacks in Russia. The APU was hit twice at the Kropotkinskaya and Kavkazskaya oil pumping stations, where oil from tanks is loaded into the pipeline system.

Transneft and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated that Kropotkinskaya was stopped, repairs would take several months, and the pipeline capacity would decrease by 30%. The CPC stated that the Western shareholders of the consortium also bear losses. If Russian Transneft and Lukoil own 24% and 15% in CPC, the rest is distributed between Kazakhstan's KazMunaiGas (19%), American Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company (15%), Mobile Caspian Pipeline Company (7.5%), JV Rosneft and British Shell (7%) and other oil and gas companies.

In addition, Transneft stated that about 74% of the volumes of Kazakh oil transported in 2024 accounted for American and other Western shippers.

"Chevron alone pumped 26.8 million tons through CPC in 2024, which is about 20% of the global production of the American corporation," Transneft said.