Black Sea oil exports are subject to additional Russian restrictions

An oil export hub in Novorossiysk has been shut down for 90 days due to Russian government orders. The decision comes just a day after OilPrice.com reported that two of the three moorings at the major terminal for Kazakh oil had been temporarily halted.

The Ministry of Transport performed a series of safety checks on fuel loading at Transneft, a state-owned monopoly. After all relevant tests were completed, the Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NCSP) suspended oil exports from Berth No. 8 for three months.

This halt is part of a larger effort that includes unannounced inspections by Rostransnadzor, triggered by a crude oil spill in the Kerch Strait. Such measures are designed to ensure that safety regulations are being followed at the terminals.

The NCSP group has been ordered to rectify all identified violations by June 30. Nevertheless, analysts do not expect significant disruptions to domestic fuel exports, as the affected port does not receive much traffic. Bloomberg reports that none of the 23 tankers loading Russian oil in March 2025 used Berth No. 8, suggesting that the overall impact on export operations is likely to be limited.