CPC Terminal Repairs to Limit Kazakhstan's Oil Exports Until at Least December 11

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is not expected to return to full export capacity until December 11–13 following damage to one of its offshore loading units near Novorossiysk, Orda.kz reports, citing Reuters.

The incident occurred on November 29, when unmanned boats struck SPM-2. CPC’s marine terminal uses three single-point moorings located around five kilometers offshore. Under normal operations, two moorings load tankers while the third remains in reserve.

At present, only SPM-1 is functioning, meaning exports are running at roughly half their usual capacity. SPM-3 has been out of service for planned maintenance since mid-November.

According to Reuters sources, SPM-3 cannot resume work until at least December 11–13 because divers are unable to complete repairs in the current weather conditions. Full restoration of SPM-2 is expected to take several months.

Kazakhstan has already been forced to redirect crude to alternative, less profitable export routes — most of them still dependent on Russian infrastructure.

Following the terminal damage, national oil output fell to around 1.9 million barrels per day.

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko