Russia's Primorsk port on the Baltic Sea resumed oil and fuel loadings on Thursday following a fire caused by drone attacks on Sunday, though at lower capacity than normal because of damage to its infrastructure, three sources said.
The port, capable of loading one million barrels per day of crude oil, started to load oil onto the tanker Anlan, the sources said. Another tanker, Minerva Georgia, was expected to start oil loading later on Thursday.
Sources said that the port also resumed diesel loadings at a slow pace. It was not clear how soon the port would be able to restore normal operations at full capacity, the sources said.
Russia’s other major Baltic oil port Ust-Luga remained shut after drone attacks on Wednesday. Russia's oil pipeline monopoly Transneft will try to redirect oil exports from the damaged Baltic Sea ports, Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing the head of the company.
Recent drone attacks have led to the worst Russian oil export shortfall in its modern history, cutting some 40 per cent of the state’s oil export capacity, according to Reuters calculations, at a time when global supply is separately constrained by war in the gulf.
(Reporting by Reuters)