Guy Faulconbridge News

Kazakhstan's energy ministry said on Tuesday that oil shipments via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium were stable after Russia's military accused Ukraine of damaging loading facilities belonging to the group in the Black Sea.Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday that Ukraine had attacked facilities at the maritime transhipment complex in the port of Novorossiysk overnight, damaging a mooring point for the CPC and igniting fires at four oil product reservoirs."The work of our oil sector is stable and CPC exports continue to be stable…

Yamal LNG, controlled by Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer Novatek, has sent its first cargo to China since last November, LSEG data showed on Tuesday, weeks before the gradual enforcement of Europe's ban on Russian LNG imports.The project, located on the Yamal peninsula in the Arctic, has previously mostly exported its frozen gas to Europe.President Vladimir Putin said last month his country could divert gas away from Europe, given the European Union's decision…

Russia's Baltic Ust-Luga port, one of its largest petroleum export hubs, was damaged again on Sunday by a Ukrainian drone attack which sparked a blaze later brought under control, Russian officials said.It followed several Ukrainian drone strikes last week on Russia’s western energy corridor when facilities at the ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk came under fire, igniting storage tanks and forcing a suspension of oil and oil product loadings.The regional governor of Leningrad said…

Asian countries including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are lining up to buy Russian oil as the Iran war blocks supplies, raising the possibility that demand may exceed supply, several sources including Russia said.Since the war in Ukraine prompted European customers - once the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas - to shun Moscow, India and China have accounted for around 80% of Russian oil exports. Turkey has also been a significant buyer.But in recent weeks…

A fire broke out at Russia's Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, a major oil export hub, after a major Ukrainian drone attack, Russian officials said on Wednesday.Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and export routes over recent weeks in an attempt to weaken Russia's war economy.Ust-Luga and Primorsk, on the Gulf of Finland, were forced to suspend exports of oil and crude on Sunday after drone attacks but they had restarted loadings on Monday, Reuters reported.But Alexander Drozdenko…

Russia's Black Sea port of Taman, which handles oil products, grain, coal and commodities, has been damaged by a Ukrainian drone attack, the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region said on Sunday.Two people were injured as an oil storage tank, warehouse and terminals took damage in Volna village, the site of Taman port, Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.Kondratyev said that more than 100 people were working to put out several fires at the port.Separate strikes on the resort city of Sochi and the village of Yurovka…

Three Greek-managed oil tankers were hit by unidentified drones in the Black Sea on Tuesday as they were on their way to load crude at a terminal on Russia's coast, sources told Reuters.The attacks come as Kazakhstan's oil production, most of which is exported via the terminal, cratered in early January.It was not immediately clear who was behind Tuesday's strikes. Ukraine did not immediately comment. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates the terminal where the tankers were due to take on board cargoes…

Russia's Novorossiysk port resumed oil loadings on Sunday after a two-day suspension triggered by a Ukrainian missile and drone attack, two industry sources said and LSEG data showed.Novorossiysk and a neighbouring Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal temporarily suspended oil exports - equivalent to 2.2 million barrels per day, or 2% of global supply - on Friday. Global oil prices rallied by more than 2% on supply fears after the attack.Two industry sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that loadings had resumed.According to LSEG data…

A Ukrainian drone attack struck one of Russia's main Black Sea oil ports on Sunday, causing a fire and damaging at least one ship, as Kyiv tries to undermine Russia's war effort by targeting its energy infrastructure.Ukraine has for several months been striking Russian oil refineries, depots and pipelines in a bid to undermine the Russian economy.Footage on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram news channels appeared to show a terminal and one tanker ablaze at night. Reuters was not…

Russia's Pacific Fleet launched cruise and anti-ship missiles during drills in the Sea of Japan that also involved aircraft and drones, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday."Kalibr and Uran missiles were fired by the Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate in the Sea of Japan, and the sailors successfully hit their target," the ministry said."The manoeuvre was carried out by ships and vessels of the Pacific Fleet, as well as the fleet's naval aviation aircraft and drones," it said.The defence ministry released footage of the frigate launching the missiles.Reuters reported earlier this month that

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia would defend its ships using the Baltic Sea with all means available and that a failed Estonian attempt to seize a tanker there recently showed that Moscow could respond with tough actionif it had to.Estonia said on Thursday last week that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an Estonian attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a "shadow fleet" defying Western sanctions on Moscow.Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia, on Sunday then detained a Greek-owne

A sanctioned LNG tanker named "Mulan", which approached Novatek's SAAM FSU floating storage facility in Murmansk on December 21, is currently sailing around Northern Europe and heading towards Port Said in Egypt, according to LSEG data. The vessel is expected to arrive at its destination on January 6, 2025.Another LNG tanker, "Pioneer", has entered the transshipment zone at the Koryak FSU floating storage facility in Kamchatka, according to LSEG data.The Pioneer and Mulan are…

A Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion ripped through its engine room and two of its crew are still missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.The vessel, built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defence Ministry's military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to…

A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil products split apart during a heavy storm on Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said.The vessels were in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, when they issued distress signals.Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations after at least one person was killed when the 136-metre Volgoneft 212 tanker…

A Russian Navy frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has conducted drills in the English Channel and is carrying out tasks in the Atlantic Ocean, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.The crew of the frigate, equipped with Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, conducted counter-terrorism drills, repelling air and sea drone attacks of a mock enemy, Russian state agencies reported."The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Golovko has completed its…

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, had proposed reviving contacts on Black Sea shipping but that he had not yet had time to study the documents.Turkey and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have long been seeking to get merchant shipping sailing more freely though the Black Sea, which in parts has become a naval war zone since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.Putin told Russian state television that Erdogan had "once again renewed these proposals to continue contacts related to shipping in the Black Sea…

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been forced to move many warships from the naval base of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsular, which Russia annexed in 2014, due to attacks by Ukraine, a Russian-installed official was quoted as saying on Sunday.The remarks by Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian-installed senator for the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region and a former head of Russia's space agency, are the first Russian official confirmation that the fleet has had to move from Sevastopol.Ukraine…

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been forced to move many warships from the naval base of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsular, which Russia annexed in 2014, due to attacks by Ukraine, a Russian-installed official was quoted as saying on Sunday.The remarks by Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian-installed senator for the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region and a former head of Russia's space agency, are the first Russian official confirmation that the fleet has had to move from Sevastopol.Ukraine…

Russia's navy began planned exercises involving most of its fleet in the Arctic and Pacific oceans as well and the Baltic and Caspian seas, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.Russia is considered by most military analysts to have the world's third most powerful navy after those of the United States and China, and Russia has a significant ballistic-missile nuclear submarine fleet.The Russian drills, which include 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, will test the readiness and capabilities of the navy at all levels…

China is providing moorage for a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia, according to satellite images obtained by Reuters, as U.S. concerns grow over Beijing's support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the Russian vessel Angara, which since August 2023 has moved to Russian ports thousands of containers believed to contain North Korean munitions, has been anchored at a Chinese…

Russia said on Thursday that the United States should not be nervous about Russian warships in Cuba but that the West appeared deaf to any diplomatic signals from Moscow and only took notice when the army or navy took action.A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine churned into Havana harbor on Wednesday, a stopover the U.S. and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force as tensions rise over the Ukraine war.White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said there was no evidence of Russia transferring any missiles to Cuba…

Russian shipping company Sovcomflot has started this year's transportation of Urals crude oil to Asia via the Northern Sea Route, according to market sources and LSEG data on Tuesday, as melting ice opens the Arctic route for transit shipments.Russia wants alternative routes to Asia from its western ports as Western sanctions have made it increasingly difficult for its fleet to operate in waters close to European Union countries.But the Northern Sea Route (NSR), though significantly shorter than the Suez Canal alternative…

Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiisk was operating as normal on Wednesday after an attempted Ukrainian maritime drone attack, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the local administration."There are no restrictions. Shipping goes as normal," Interfax quoted a statement from the local administration.Novorossiisk is Russia's largest Black Sea port and a key outlet for crude oil and oil products exports and transit in Russia's south. It also loads oil coming from Kazkahstan and Azerbaijan and handles grain…