A tanker involved in the transportation of Kazakh oil has been attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle near the terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The incident occurred on January 13 and was confirmed in an official information statement, DKNews.kz reports.
According to the report, the tanker MATILDA is chartered by Kazmortransflot LLP, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national oil company KazMunayGas. The vessel was scheduled to load Kazakh oil at the CPC marine terminal on January 18, 2026.
Explosion without fire, crew unharmed
The drone attack resulted in an explosion on board the vessel. However, no fire broke out following the blast. Importantly, none of the crew members were injured during the incident.
A preliminary inspection showed that the tanker remains seaworthy. At the time of the initial assessment, no signs of serious structural damage to the vessel were identified. A detailed evaluation of the damage is currently underway.
No impact on oil exports
It is noted that the incident took place several days before the planned loading of oil. As a result, the tanker was not carrying any cargo at the time of the attack. This means that Kazakhstan’s oil export shipments were not affected.
Relevant services continue to assess the situation. Further decisions regarding the vessel’s operation and any necessary repairs will be made following additional technical inspections.
The incident once again draws attention to security concerns surrounding maritime infrastructure and energy logistics. At the same time, official information indicates that there are currently no risks to the operation of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium or to Kazakhstan’s oil exports.
