Oil from Kazakhstan's vast Kashagan field has been diverted to the domestic market for the first time due to bottlenecks at the Black Sea terminal that handles the bulk of the country's crude exports, four industry sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which handles about 80 per cent of Kazakhstan's oil exports, cut volumes after equipment at the Russian Black Sea terminal was seriously damaged in drone attacks at the end of November.
Kazakhstan redirected 300,000 tonnes of oil away from the CPC in December, state-owned Kazmunaygas said on Friday.
Some volumes were also shipped to China via the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline.
The sources said Kashagan crude was supplied to Kazakhstan's Shymkent oil refinery for the first time, without giving volumes.
Kazakhstan's energy ministry, the Kashagan operating company, pipeline operator Kaztransoil and Kazmunaygas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Total crude supplies to the Shymkent plant in January are scheduled at 542,000 tonnes, the sources said.
Kashagan, a giant offshore field in the northern Caspian Sea discovered in 2000, is one of the largest oil finds in recent decades and also among the costliest to develop. Production began in 2013.
The field produced around 378,500 barrels per day in 2024, below its initially forecast capacity of 400,000 bpd. Development plans target an increase to 450,000 bpd.
Kashagan is operated by the North Caspian Operating Company, which includes Eni (16.81 per cent stake), Shell (16.81 per cent), TotalEnergies (16.81 per cent), ExxonMobil (16.81 per cent), Kazmunaygas (16.88 per cent), Inpex (7.56 per cent) and China National Petroleum Corp (8.33 per cent).
(Reporting by Reuters. Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Potter)