A Chevron-chartered oil tanker, Yasa Polaris, was struck by a drone off Russia’s Black Sea coast, according to its managing company. This incident occurred as Ukraine intensifies its drone attacks on Russian energy targets. The Ukrainian military has reported attacks on several tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” that supply fuel to Crimea.
Yasa Tanker stated that the Yasa Polaris, which was empty and drifting near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal, was hit on July 7. Fortunately, all crew members are safe, and there has been no reported damage to the vessel or environmental impact. Chevron confirmed awareness of the incident, emphasizing that it did not disrupt exports from Kazakhstan.
The Yasa Polaris, built in 2022, has a capacity of approximately 160,000 metric tons of oil. Ukraine has targeted the CPC oil terminal and related vessels multiple times since the onset of the war in 2022, with previous attacks causing significant damage. The CPC, vital for Kazakhstan’s oil exports, plans to reduce its output to about 1.6 million barrels per day in July due to recent drone damage affecting its operations.
