An attack with Ukrainian drones against the port of Primorsk, northwest of Russia, suspended for the first time the load operations in the largest oil terminal in the country, according to two sources in the industry and the Ukrainian army.
The drone attack, the first reported in the port, set two ships on fire, the industry sources reported. The Russian governor of the port region said that a drone attack set fire to a ship and a pumping station, and did not report any suspension of operations.
kyiv intensified drones attacks against Russian energy infrastructure while driving negotiations to end war in Ukraine, trying to isolate Russia from its main source of income, crude oil sales, limiting its export capacity.
The Ukrainian security agency SBU reported that it had attacked the port of Primorsk with drones during the night, which caused a fire and the suspension of load operations.
Petroleum load operations from Primorsk were suspended early Friday, two industry sources familiar with load operations from the port reported. It was not clear if the operations had resumed when writing this article.
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What oil ships were attacked?
Two oil tankers, Kustos and Cai Yun, were achieved by the attack, industry sources indicated. Kust is an Aphramax oil tanker, owned by and administered by Solstice Corp, according to LSE. Cai Yun is an Aphramax, owned by and administered by Acceronix Ltd. both are registered in Seychelles, they indicate public databases.
Since the beginning of August, Ukraine intensified attacks against Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries and pipelines, while peace conversations are still stagnant.
Other ports, such as the nearby UST-Luga and that of Novalossiisk in the Black Sea, were repeatedly attacked in recent months.
Russia reviewed its September oil export plan from Western ports to 2.1 million barrels per day (BPD), an increase of 11% with respect to the initial schedule, since drones attacks against national refineries reduced local oil demand.
Governor Alexander Drozdenko declared that the fire on the ship in Primorsk, which he did not identify, was extinguished and that there was no risk of oil spill.
More than 30 drones were destroyed on the region, he added in the telegram publication, not to mention the war in Ukraine.
“How long will this last? I have not slept throughout the night or all morning. Hopefully everything was fine. The child does not sleep, just tries to fall asleep, and then zas!, Zas! It’s horrible. Hopefully everything would end soon,” wrote a user named Sashulya.
Primorsk is located in the Gulf of Finland, near St. Petersburg. The Russian Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, reported that the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg suspended its operations for several hours on Friday morning.
The Russian army said that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones during the night, including nine over the Moscow region.
When a comment was asked, the spokesman of the General Staff of Ukraine said that the army did not have immediate information about the attack reported.
With Reuters information
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