Ukraine Hits Novorossiysk – 2% of World Oil Stops Overnight
Oil exports from Russia’s key Black Sea hub of Novorossiysk were temporarily halted on Friday after a large-scale Ukrainian missile and drone strike set parts of the port’s oil infrastructure on fire.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters.
The suspension affected roughly 2.2 million barrels per day – about 2% of global oil supply, triggering an immediate rise in international oil prices.
The attack, one of Ukraine’s most damaging strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in months, comes amid Kyiv’s intensified campaign to degrade the Kremlin’s war-financing capacity by targeting oil refineries, ports, and logistics networks.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that the strike involved Neptune cruise missiles and several types of long-range air and sea attack drones. The operation targeted multiple components of the Novorossiysk port complex as part of Ukraine’s strategy to “reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor.”
The attack also hit facilities outside the region: Ukraine said it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region and a fuel storage site in Engels overnight.
Two berths at the Sheskharis terminal, platforms used for loading both 40,000-DWT and 140,000-DWT tankers, were severely damaged, according to three industry insiders. One of them said the Sierra Leone-flagged Arlan tanker was struck as well.
Russia’s pipeline operator Transneft suspended crude supplies to the port following the strikes. The company did not provide public comment, but industry sources confirmed the shutdown.
Novorossiysk is among Russia’s most important Black Sea export hubs, handling both crude oil and petroleum products. In October alone, the Sheskharis terminal shipped 761,000 barrels per day of Russian crude, while total oil-product exports from the port exceeded 1.7 million tonnes.
As The Gaze previously reported, on November 5, the Russian port Tuapse on the Black Sea suspended fuel exports, and the local oil refinery stopped operating after a Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire and halted oil processing.
Read more on The Gaze: Why Ukraine Should be Allowed to Attack Russian Oil Refineries – Benefits for the US and EU