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Oil Tanker Hit Again by Drone Attack
20 Jul
Summary
- A drone attack targeted a civilian oil tanker near the CPC terminal.
- The vessel, named Nelsa, sustained damage and a fire broke out.
- Oil loading was immediately halted following the incident on July 20.
On July 20, 2026, a drone attack targeted a civilian maritime tanker, the Nelsa, at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal near Novorossiysk. This marked a second attack on the facility within days, disrupting oil shipments.
The drone struck the Nelsa tanker on its starboard side while it was loading crude oil at SPM-1. A fire erupted on the vessel's deck and compartments but was successfully extinguished within hours. The tanker remained afloat, and importantly, no oil spill or ignition within the tanks occurred.
All 22 members of the international crew were evacuated by CPC tugboats, with the exception of the captain and chief officer. Following the incident, oil loading operations were immediately halted. This stoppage occurred shortly after shipments had resumed on the evening of July 19, following a prior drone attack on two other tankers, the Asia and the Nissos Ios, at the same terminal on July 19.
