Kazakhstan Restores Main Oil Export Pipeline to Full Capacity

Kazakhstan fully restored operations on its main oil export pipeline after completing repairs at a key offshore loading point, easing pressure on crude shipments that had persisted for months and offering a boost to global supply flows via the Black Sea.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) said its export terminal on Russia’s Black Sea coast has resumed full-capacity operations following the repair of the third offshore mooring point, known as SPM-3, and the successful loading of a crude oil tanker. 

The development returns the terminal’s operational capacity to normal levels, the consortium said in a statement carried by Reuters.

The pipeline had been operating below capacity since late November 2025, when one of the offshore mooring points was taken out of service following an attack by a Ukrainian maritime drone. The incident restricted loading operations and reduced oil flows through the CPC system, a vital route for Kazakh crude exports.

CPC said repair work on SPM-3 has now been completed, including the replacement and underwater testing of marine hoses. The loading of a tanker on Sunday served as a practical confirmation that the facility is back online.

Under CPC’s operating model, annual shipping plans can be fulfilled as long as at least two mooring points operate simultaneously, a condition now met with SPM-3 back in service alongside SPM-1.

The three offshore mooring points are located about five kilometers from the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal near the Russian port city of Novorossiysk. Typically, two are used for loading, while the third is kept as a strategic backup.

The CPC pipeline is Kazakhstan’s primary oil export artery, carrying around 80% of the country’s crude exports and accounting for roughly 1.5% of global oil supply, giving it outsized importance in international energy markets.

Kazakhstan ranks as the world’s 12th-largest oil producer, but its output and exports have faced repeated disruptions in recent months due to security incidents, technical issues, and a temporary halt in production at the giant Tengiz oil field.

Despite the restoration of export capacity, risks remain. Ongoing problems at Tengiz, the main source of CPC blend crude, could still weigh on shipment volumes. Tengizchevroil, the Chevron-led operator of the field, previously declared force majeure on CPC crude supplies following a fire and a power outage.

Stretching approximately 1,500 kilometers, the CPC pipeline is owned by a consortium that includes Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas, Russia’s Lukoil, and subsidiaries of Chevron and Exxon Mobil.