Chevron Tanker Hit by Drone in Black Sea

A drone struck the Yasa Polaris, a tanker linked to CVX, near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) offshore terminal at Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on July 7, 2026, according to multiple reports.

The vessel was reportedly drifting offshore near the CPC's loading facilities at the time of the strike. All crew members were confirmed safe, and no visible hull damage, pollution, or environmental impact was reported.

Chevron said it was aware of the incident and confirmed the tanker's crew was unharmed; the tanker has since left the affected area. The company's Tengizchevroil joint venture, which operates the giant Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan, is the largest exporter of CPC Blend crude, and Chevron said exports from Kazakhstan were not affected by the incident.

The strike is the latest in a series of drone attacks on tankers and infrastructure near Novorossiysk, a key export hub for Russian and Kazakh crude, as Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months. While this particular incident caused no reported damage or supply disruption, the recurrence of attacks in the area underscores the ongoing security risk to Black Sea oil logistics that Chevron and other CPC shippers must continue to navigate.

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