Kazakhstan's Matilda Tanker Suffers Double Drone Strike

The Matilda tanker, chartered by Kazakhstan’s Kazmortransflot, has been struck twice by drones while waiting to load oil near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) terminal in the Black Sea, sustaining damage to its deck structures but remaining seaworthy.

Two oil tankers heading to load Kazakhstan’s crude were damaged in a drone attack in the Black Sea. The incident occurred on January 13 near the CPC marine terminal off Novorossiysk, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

The vessels Delta Harmony and Matilda sustained damage. The Delta Harmony, chartered by Chevron, was en route to load oil from Kazakhstan’s Tengiz field. The Matilda, operated by Greek shipping company Thenamaris and chartered by Kazmortransflot, a subsidiary of KazMunayGas, was heading to load crude from the Karachaganak field.

The Delta Harmony was hit, briefly catching fire onboard. The blaze was quickly extinguished, no crew members were injured, and no marine pollution was reported. The tanker was able to leave the area under its own power.

The Matilda was struck twice by drones while anchored about 48 kilometers from the CPC terminal. The attacks damaged deck structures, but the vessel remained seaworthy and has since departed the area. Both Thenamaris and KazMunayGas confirmed the incident.

Four vessels were targeted during the attack, though significant damage was reported only on two of them. In the aftermath, insurers nearly doubled war-risk insurance premiums for ships operating in the Black Sea, highlighting rising security concerns for regional energy logistics.