Oil exports halted at Novorossiysk amid terminal damage and depot fire
Russia’s main Black Sea oil hub at Novorossiysk temporarily halted crude exports after an overnight Ukrainian strike damaged port infrastructure, sparked a fire at an oil depot and injured three seafarers. The disruption—estimated at about 2.2 million barrels per day, roughly 2% of global supply—lifted benchmark prices by more than 2% before loadings later resumed, according to industry sources and port data. Initial details, including damage to two oil berths and impacts on adjacent terminals, were reported by maritime media and subsequently corroborated by trade sources and market reports.
Exports halted, then partially restored: scale of disruption and price reaction
Following the strike in the early hours of 14 November, Novorossiysk suspended oil exports and pipeline operator Transneft paused supplies to the outlet, according to industry sources cited by Reuters reporting on the export halt. Brent crude settled more than 2% higher on the day amid supply concerns. By 16 November, oil loadings at Novorossiysk had restarted and tankers were again alongside, per vessel data and sources cited by Reuters reports on the resumption.
Damage at Shekharis terminal and nearby facilities; three crew injured
Maritime sources described damage at the Shekharis oil terminal, including two affected oil berths, with debris also impacting a grain terminal and a container facility. A docked vessel and port crane sustained damage, while an oil depot fire was extinguished by local responders. Three crew members from a ship were injured and hospitalised; no fatalities were reported. These incident details, including temporary suspensions at the nearby Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s Yuzhnaya Ozereevka terminal and subsequent resumption after the alert, were first compiled by Marine Insight’s summary of port impacts.
Strike profile and context
Ukraine has intensified long‑range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure through 2025. Kyiv said long‑range “Long Neptune” cruise missiles were launched at targets inside Russia overnight, while officials have not publicly itemised specific Novorossiysk targets. The Novorossiysk complex—including the Shekharis terminal handling hundreds of thousands of barrels per day and the CPC link to Kazakh crude—remains a high‑value node; even short shutdowns can ripple through regional crude flows and shipping schedules.
Significance: The episode underscores the vulnerability of Black Sea energy logistics; although operations resumed within days, the temporary removal of around 2% of global supply was sufficient to move prices and expose persistent operational risk for Russian and Kazakh crude exports via Novorossiysk.
