Mayor of Russia's Black Sea port Novorossiisk issues sea drone alert

Related News

• Patrushev, a Kremlin hawk, says that trust between Russia and the U.S. needs to be restored

  Nikolai Patrushev is one of the Kremlin’s senior hawks. He said that the trust between Russia and the United States, the "great powers", should be restored. Moscow was also ready to resume its cooperation with America on the Arctic. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has shifted his focus towards Russia to try to end the three year war in Ukraine. He and his administration see China as the greatest threat to the United States. The Kremlin welcomed the opportunity to restore relations with the United States, after the confrontation about Ukraine caused what diplomats in both countries described as the worst crisis ever experienced by their relationship. The Kommersant reported that Kremlin aide Patrushev - a Cold War veteran who helped to formulate the Kremlin’s national security policy - said: "Russia and the United States as great powers have historically borne special responsibility for world fate." "And our experience over the past decades, or even centuries, shows that we have always been able to overcome our differences in the most difficult crisis situations." Trump's pivot toward Russia has deeply worried many of Washington's traditional European allies who fear Washington could turn its back on Europe. Patrushev is a former KGB agent from St Petersburg, where Vladimir Putin was also born. He said that Russia would be ready to resume its cooperation with the U.S. on the Arctic. (Reporting and editing by Guy Faulconbridge; reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin)

• Russia increases oil product supplies to Indonesia

  Market sources and LSEG data on Thursday showed that Russia has increased its shipments of oil to Indonesia in response to Western sanctions imposed due to its invasion of Ukraine. Since the full European Union embargo against imports of Russian oil-based products went into effect in February 20, Russia has diverted fuel exports towards Asia, Africa, and South America. In the past, Indonesia imported oil products mainly from Saudi Arabia and other countries like Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Shipping data shows that between January and the end of March, approximately 500,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil was exported from Ust-Luga in Russia to Indonesia. Sources and LSEG data revealed that two cargoes containing about 50,000 tonnes of naphtha also were shipped to Indonesia this year from the Russian Arctic Port of Arkhangelsk. Indonesia imported around 58.200 tons of naphtha from Russia and 100,000 tons fuel oil for the entire year 2024. In March, a vessel named the Savitri transported 33,000 tons diesel from the Russian Black Sea Port of Tuapse in Indonesia to the Karimun port. Shipping data indicates that another tanker called the Lunar Tide could transport nearly 60,000 tonnes of diesel this month from Tuapse port to Karimun. Unknown buyers are the cargoes. Karimun has traditionally been used as a hub of storage for Southeast Asia. Some traders store their diesel cargoes here and blend them to be delivered later into other destinations in the region, according to trade sources. One source said that due to regulatory requirements most of these cargoes could not be resold into Indonesia. Kpler ship tracking data showed that so far this year, 105,000 tons have been exported out of Karimun. These volumes are headed for countries such as East Timor and Myanmar, along with Singapore. (Reporting in Moscow by Trixie Yap, Singapore by Joe Bavier; Editing by Joe Bavier).

• Officials say that Russia's attacks in Ukraine have caused a petrol station to burn and injured several people.

  Regional officials reported on Monday that overnight attacks by Russia caused a fire to break out at a petrol pump in Zaporizhzhia. The attack injured eight people, and destroyed houses throughout the southeast part of Ukraine. Ivan Fedorov said that no one was hurt in the petrol-station fire following a drone strike on the area in a Telegram post. He shared a picture of large flames burning a building at night. In late March, the U.S. announced that it had reached an agreement with Russia and Ukraine regarding two ceasefire agreements. One of these accords would prohibit strikes against each other's infrastructure. Both sides have accused each other repeatedly of violating the moratoriums. It wasn't immediately clear if the petrol station at Zaporizhzhia had been targeted or if the fire was caused by debris falling from a drone that was destroyed. The report of Fedorov could not be independently verified as there was no comment by Russia. Ukraine's Emergency Service posted on Telegram that seven people were injured by a Russian drone strike on the Black Sea Port of Odesa late Sunday night. The attack also damaged several homes as well as a medical center. Serhiylysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Region, confirmed on Telegram that a 53-year old man was injured by heavy artillery fire from Russia in the Nikopol District of the Dnipropetrovsk Region. It was unclear what the full scope of the attacks overnight was. Ukraine's Air Force reports data on attacks normally late in the morning. Officials said that the attacks occurred a day after the deadly attack on Ukraine by two Russian ballistic rockets, which killed 34 people and injured 117 others. Moscow has not commented on any of the incidents. Both sides deny that civilians were targeted in the war which Russia began with a full scale invasion of its smaller neighbor more than three year ago. The conflict has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, with the majority being Ukrainians. (Reporting and editing by SonaliPaul in Melbourne, Lidia Kelly)

• Ifx: Kazakhstan talks to oil producers about reducing output

  Interfax reported Thursday that the Energy Ministry had been in contact with Kazakhstan's oil producers to reduce the output. The country was producing more than its OPEC+ quota. Kazakhstan has been pumping more oil than the limit set by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, led by Russia, for several months. OPEC+ member countries have been pressuring Kazakhstan to reduce production to honor the agreed quotas. Interfax reported that Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said Thursday the country had exceeded its OPEC+ quota for March, but would fulfill its commitments by April and compensate partially for its earlier overproduction. Many Western oil majors are present in Kazakhstan. This country is ranked 10th globally for its production of crude oil. The main factor in Kazakhstan's increase in oil production has been a production boost at Tengiz, the largest oilfield operated by Chevron. Interfax cited the Energy Ministry as stating that Kazakhstan had not reduced oil exports through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium last month. According to sources in the industry, Black Sea CPC Blend oil expected exports for April have been revised downward. In February and March, drone attacks by Ukraine damaged the pipeline infrastructure. Russia restricted CPC’s exporting capability at the Black Sea. This was partially restored this week. (Reporting and Writing by Lucy Papachristou, Vladimir Soldatkin and Kirsten Donovan; Editing by Kirsten Doovan).

• Caspian Pipeline partially restores Kazakh Oil Loadings in Black Sea

  It said that the Caspian Pipeline Consortium had resumed oil loading at one of the two Black Sea moorings previously closed, following a Russian Transport regulator's restrictions. Officially, the CPC was targeted because of inspections in relation to an oil spill that occurred in December. They came after OPEC+ had Pressed Kazakhstan will reduce production to meet agreed-upon production quotas. The move has sparked diplomatic activity between Russia, Kazakhstan and fueled concerns about a possible drop in oil sales from Central Asia. 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports go through the CPC. The court overturned the decision of the Transport Watchdog on Friday, and ruled that the CPC terminal facilities could not be suspended. It said that the CPC, which is owned by Chevron, ExxonMobil and others, now operates at two of its three moorings. CPC uses two moorings and keeps the third one as a back-up. The CPC said that it would provide more information about the resumption in operations of Single Point Mooring-2. Sources familiar with CPC operations say that the consortium's operations and exports would still be affected without the third mooring. OPEC+ ANGERING Resuming loading will help prevent a possible fall in Kazakhstan's crude oil exports. Two industry sources report that the initial plan for Black Sea CPC blend oil exports in April was revised downward to 1.6 millions barrels per day (6.2 million metric tonnes) from 1.7million bpd. Sources said that the decline in loading was due to the fall in Russian oil exported via the CPC. There will also be no oil supplies from the Krasnodar oil depot, which had a major fire after a drone strike in March. The extent of the damage to exports via CPC and its impact have been reported in conflicting ways. After a nearby pumping station had also been attacked one month before, Alexander Novak, the Russian Vice-Premier, said that oil flow via this route had decreased by 30-40%. Kazakhstan, however, said that the flows were unaffected. Since the beginning of Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the CPC has been in a spotlight. The damage caused by the CPC led to it closing all but one mooring point several times during 2022. This severely reduced exports along this route. The pipeline is a main oil export route for Kazakhstan. Due to the rising production of the Tengiz oilfield, owned by Chevron, the country has breached export quotas in the OPEC+ producer groups, which include OPEC, Russia, and other countries. Sources have said that Saudi Arabia and other members of the group are angry about Kazakhstan's increasing oil production. OPEC+ urges the Central Asian nation, as well as other members, make further reductions to compensate for excessive production. OPEC+ announced on Thursday that it would increase its output before the scheduled date, a sign the group had confidence non-compliant member countries would reduce their output in the coming week. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey, Joe Bavier and Olesya Astakhova)

• Producers say that Ukraine's soybean exports to the EU could increase amid tariff war

  The Ukrainian Farm Producers Union UAC stated on Wednesday that Ukraine could increase its soybean exports into the European Union, if the U.S.-EU trade dispute escalates. Ukraine harvested a record of 6.2 million tons of soybeans in 2024. However, due to the volatility in prices this year's sowing area could be reduced. U.S. president Donald Trump announced that a minimum 10% tariff would be applied to most U.S. imported goods, and significantly higher duties will apply to goods from China and other countries. This is likely going prompt countermeasures which could drive up prices or reduce demand for U.S. products. UAC stated in a press release that "if the situation between duties between the U.S. The report noted that "Europe has already increased its purchases of Ukrainian goods, and this trend will likely intensify in coming months." Analysts in Ukraine's agricultural sector said that Ukraine-origin grain, a major commodity within the country's grain industry, could benefit from tariffs imposed by America, since it can partially replace U.S. Corn if retaliatory measures are taken. UAC reported that traders exported 93,000 tonnes of soybeans in April. Ukraine exported 369,000 tonnes of soybeans in march, 391,000 in february and 194,000 in January. APK-Inform analyst said that last month, Ukraine's soybean crop in 2025 may be between 5,8 and 6,2 million metric tonnes. The final volume of the harvest will depend on how much rain falls in May and in June. This will determine the yields. (Reporting and editing by Ed Osmond, with Pavel Polityuk)

• Shipping group Mitsui O.S.K. CEO of shipping group Mitsui O.S.K.

  Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Japan's second largest shipping company, is looking to capitalize on the opportunities created by a shift in routes due to new U.S. Tariffs, said CEO Takeshi Hashimoto. The U.S.'s highest tariffs in over a century came into effect on Wednesday, shaking the global markets. Hashimoto said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday that "Trade routes are bound to be reshuffled". He said that we'd likely see an increase in trade with low-tariff nations and a decline from high-tariff countries. Some cargos might be rerouted to Mexico or Canada where tariffs are lower. MOL will monitor changing trade patterns, and take advantage of new opportunities. Hashimoto stated that U.S. grain and energy exports to Asia may be affected, and countries such as China could turn to alternative suppliers like Brazil or Argentina for grain and Qatar for LNG. Hashimoto stated that MOL may open a Washington office to collect information and lobby for MOL. He added that trade routes were also re-routed during the first Trump Administration in response to tariffs. He said that during the first Trump administration, trade routes were also rearranged in response to tariffs. The CEO thinks Trump's aim is to reach favourable trade agreements, which makes a full-scale war on tariffs unlikely. LNG FLEET EXPANSION MOL, which is the largest LNG carrier in the world, plans to increase its fleet of LNG vessels from 108 to 150 by 2030. Hashimoto expects the demand to continue to rise into the 2030s, before it begins to decline. Hashimoto added that global LNG use could be significant in 2050. MOL has signed charter agreements for three LNG icebreakers and one condensate-icebreaker between 2020 and early 2022 for the Arctic LNG 2 Project in Russia. However, Hashimoto stated that delivery of these vessels are on hold because of Western sanctions. Hashimoto stated that MOL and Alaska have been in intermittent contact for some time on the subject of Alaska LNG. However, pipeline issues are still unresolved. He did not attend the Alaskan delegation's recent visit to Japan but expressed his willingness to take part in LNG transport if the Alaska LNG project is successful. Hashimoto stated that the company could raise shareholder returns in 2025/06 after the company generated strong profits in the last two years. The equity capital has also increased to over 2.5 trillion yen (17.20 billion dollars) Hashimoto stated that they were considering a slight increase in shareholder returns, but a final decision would only be made once the tariffs from the United States are assessed. ($1 = 145.3200 yen) (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi. Editing by Jane Merriman

• US sanctions still hit Serbian oil company NIS operations despite waivers

  Sources familiar with the situation say that Serbian oil company NIS struggles to find oil traders overseas, and its former clients in Serbia are looking for alternative fuel suppliers because of the impact of U.S. sanctions on operations. NIS is owned by Gazprom Neft, a subsidiary of Gazprom, and is therefore one of Russia's remaining oil assets in Europe. The only oil refinery in the Balkan nation is vital to Serbia's energy safety. NIS's dominant position on the Serbian market, combined with the logistical challenges of the landlocked nation, makes it difficult for other companies. NIS is the supplier of around 80% or more of Serbian gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as 90% of heavy fuel oil and jet fuel, according to a trader. The company's recent struggles are a warning of what could happen if U.S. Sanctions take effect. President Aleksandar Vucic has warned that Serbia may lose its access to oil imports. On January 10, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury designated NIS AD Novi Sad as a sanctioned organization. It gave Gazprom Neft a 45-day deadline to withdraw its investment. This deadline was then extended by 30 days in two consecutive waivers. NIS, which normally buys crude oil in long-term agreements, has cancelled its tender for 2025, according to the site of its procurement. Two sources said that it is making short-term purchases on the spot market, from international trading companies still willing to work with it. The crude changes in NIS's procurement have never been reported before. NIS stated that it had recently closed a successful deal to purchase oil according to the waiver and that they were sourcing crude from a number of suppliers. It didn't give any details. The company said that it was adapting to new circumstances. According to Kpler, the global provider of real-time data analytics and data, NIS has imported around 28,000 barrels of crude oil per day via Croatia's Omisalj Port. This is where 80% the company's supply comes via the Janaf Pipeline. This compares to 40,000 bpd by 2024 and 70,000 in 2023. Fuel suppliers OMV from Austria and Greek-owned Eko import key transport fuels to their Serbian retail network instead of buying them from NIS. This move was not previously reported. OMV imports fuels from other European refineries on barges along the Danube River, according to its statement. Meanwhile, Eko supplies products from Greece, said a company official who asked not to be identified. The U.S. sanctions have caused both companies to suspend fuel purchases from NIS, they stated. One Serbian fuel dealer said that imports would not be able to meet Serbia's demand for diesel and gasoline, which is between 44,000 and 49,000 bpd, due to the limited infrastructure and capacity of barges, trucks and railcars. NIS said it was "prepared" to fulfill its contractual obligations with clients, such as corporate buyers and major purchasers like other oil companies. It also stated that the Pancevo oil refining plant was running normally. Reporting by Robert Harvey from London and Aleksandar Vasovic from Belgrade. Ahmad Ghaddar contributed additional reporting. Dmitry Zhdannikov, Mark Potter and Mark Potter (Editing)

• Source: Russian court lifts suspension of Transneft Black Sea oil berth

  An industry source said that a Russian court reversed on Monday the decision of a regulator to stop the operation of a Transneft-controlled oil berth in the Black Sea port Novorossiisk. Transneft announced last week that it had suspended the mooring no. 8 at Novorossiisk, for 90 days following a quick inspection by a transportation watchdog. The Novorossiisk Commercial Sea Port is one of Russia’s biggest export outlets. Closing one mooring will not have a significant impact on its operations. Sources claim that the port was fined $2,322 for non-specific irregularities. Transneft didn't respond to a comment request. Last week, a source in the industry said that this berth was used for small vessels up to 10,000 tonnes of oil products. A Russian court last week ruled against the suspension of two berths in Novorossiisk, which are part of the Black Sea export terminals for Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The Caspian Pipeline Consortium uses these berths, supported by Western stakeholders, to export oil from Kazakhstan. $1 = 86.1455 Roubles (Reporting and writing by Olesya Astakhova; editing by Alexandra Hudson).

• CPC: Russian court orders that the Caspian oil export terminal will not be suspended by the Russian court

  The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said that on Friday, a Russian court fined the consortium 200,000 roubles (2,370 dollars) for oil transhipment infractions. However, it was ruled by the court that its Black Sea Export Terminal facilities would not be suspended. This decision is likely to prevent a possible fall in Kazakhstan oil production via CPC. Around 80% of Kazakhstan's exports are oil. Sources in the industry told of a frenzy of diplomatic activity before the court's ruling regarding the pipeline operations between Russia and Kazakhstan. Transneft, the Russian oil pipeline monopoly, announced on Thursday that Nikolai Tokarev met with Askhat Khassenov from KazMunayGaz in Moscow. Both companies are major CPC shareholders. Transneft didn't mention CPC in its statement regarding the meeting. After a series of inspections in response to a major oil spill that occurred in December, the Russian transport regulator ordered CPC, which includes Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other shareholders, to suspend its operations at two moorings on its Black Sea Export Terminal. CPC reported on Friday that the court had, after considering the inspection, found the Russian portion of the CPC consortium responsible and imposed a fine of 200,000 Russian roubles, without suspending the exporting facilities. When the CPC export terminal will resume normal operations was not immediately apparent. CPC refused to comment on timing. The CPC pipeline was set to export 1.7 million barrels of oil per day in April, which is approximately 6.5 millions metric tons. CPC is a major oil-export route for Kazakhstan. Due to the rising production of the Tengiz oilfield, owned by Chevron, Kazakhstan has exceeded its export quotas in the OPEC+ producer groups, which include OPEC, Russia, and other countries. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ countries have also pressed Kazakhstan to reduce production in order to meet its quotas. OPEC+ announced on Thursday that it would increase output before the scheduled date, indicating its confidence in non-compliant member countries to reduce production.

• Caspian Oil Pipeline Consortium prepares for court battle with Russia over stoppage orders

  Three industry sources said that the Western-backed Caspian Pipeline Consortium was preparing to take on a Russian court to challenge a regulatory order which has crippled their export capabilities and threatens to cut off oil flow to global markets. After a series of inspections in response to an oil spill that occurred on the Black Sea, the Russian transport regulator ordered CPC, which includes Chevron, Exxon Mobil and others, to suspend its operations at two moorings. A court in Russia will review the decision of the regulator. Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the CPC intends to contest the decision during the hearings. The CPC declined comment. Rostransnadzor did not respond to a comment request. CPC is a major oil export route in Kazakhstan. This is due to the fact that the country has exceeded its export quotas, primarily because of the production increase from the Chevron-led Tengiz Oilfield. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ countries have also pressed Kazakhstan to reduce production in order to meet its quotas. OPEC+ announced on Thursday that it would increase its output before the scheduled date, indicating the group's confidence in non-compliant member countries to reduce their output. Traders estimate that the CPC pipeline which transports about 1% of global oil supply could lose 50% of its capacity, if it is only allowed to use one berth. The CPC pipeline was set to export 1.7 million barrels of oil per day in April. This is approximately 6.5 millions metric tons. Therefore, more than 800,000. barrels could be lost per day. The traders also stated that the oil production of Kazakhstan, which exports 80% of the total oil through this route, will decline if these restrictions are in place for longer than a week. CPC announced this week that the restrictions would continue at the terminal until the irregularities discovered by the watchdog and which were not made public are addressed. In the past, Russia has imposed restrictions on the exports of the consortium due to bad weather and technical problems. A court in Novorossiisk, Russia, ordered CPC to stop the terminal operation for 30 days because of its documentation on oil spills. Benjamin Godwin is a partner of PRISM Strategic Intelligence in London, an investment advisory company. The pipeline is used by major energy companies in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. The restrictions were implemented after U.S. president Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with Russia for the slow pace of peace talks in Ukraine and threatened to impose secondary duties on Russian oil buyers. Tengizchevroil is Chevron's Kazakhstan-based oil venture. In an email, it stated that the company was focused on ensuring safe and reliable operations. It referred any further questions to CPC. On Wednesday, Russia, the second largest oil exporter in the world, imposed further restrictions on a major oil export route. It suspended a mooring from the Black Sea port Novorossiisk, just a day after CPC's restrictions took effect. Mark Potter, David Evans and Mark Potter are responsible for reporting.

• Caspian Oil Pipeline Consortium prepares for court battle with Russia over stoppage orders

  Three industry sources said that the Western-backed Caspian Pipeline Consortium was preparing to take on a Russian court to challenge a regulatory order which has crippled their export capabilities and threatens to cut off oil flow to global markets. After a series of inspections in response to an oil spill that occurred on the Black Sea, the Russian transport regulator ordered CPC, which includes Chevron, Exxon Mobil and others, to suspend its operations at two moorings. A court in Russia will review the decision of the regulator. Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the CPC intends to contest the decision during the hearings. The CPC declined comment. Rostransnadzor did not respond to a comment request. CPC is a major oil export route in Kazakhstan. This is due to the fact that the country has exceeded its export quotas, mainly because of the production increase from the Chevron-led Tengiz Oilfield. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ countries have also pressed Kazakhstan to reduce production in order to meet its quotas. On Thursday, OPEC+ You can also find out more about the decision-making process by clicking here. To increase output ahead of schedule by signaling the group's confidence that non-compliant members will reduce output in the next few weeks. Traders estimate that the CPC pipeline which transports about 1% of global oil supply could lose 50% of its capacity, if it is only allowed to use one berth. The CPC pipeline was set to export 1.7 million barrels of oil per day in April. This is approximately 6.5 millions metric tons. Therefore, more than 800,000. barrels could be lost per day. The traders also stated that the oil production of Kazakhstan, which exports 80% of the total oil through this route, will decline if these restrictions are in place for longer than a week. CPC announced this week that the restrictions would continue at the terminal until the irregularities discovered by the watchdog and which were not made public are addressed. A court in Novorossiisk, Russia, ordered CPC to stop the terminal operation for 30 days because of its documentation on oil spills. Tengizchevroil is Chevron's Kazakhstan-based oil venture. In an email, it stated that the company was focused on safe, reliable operations. It referred any further questions to CPC. On Wednesday, Russia, the second largest oil exporter in the world, also imposed restrictions on a major oil export route. It suspended a mooring from the Black Sea Port of Novorossiisk just one day after CPC restrictions went into effect. The restrictions were implemented as U.S. president Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with Russia for the slow pace of peace talks in Ukraine and threatened to impose secondary duties on Russian oil buyers. Mark Potter (Editing and Reporting)