A major fire broke out at the Ust-Luga oil port in Russia’s Leningrad region following a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack overnight on March 25, the second critical Baltic Sea export hub to be set ablaze this week following a similar strike on the nearby Primorsk port on Monday.
Ust-Luga port, one of Russia’s largest multipurpose outlets on the Baltic Sea with capacity to handle approximately 700,000 barrels of oil per day, was sealed off after several oil storage reservoirs were set on fire. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 389 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight, with at least 56 intercepted over the Leningrad region.
In the Monday attack, drone attacks triggered fires at fuel storage tanks in Primorsk while neighboring Ust-Luga also suspended operations amid the barrage before partially resuming loadings. The disruption hits a key artery for Russian oil flows into global markets at a time when supply is already strained by Middle East instability. Primorsk is a cornerstone of Russia’s export system, shipping Urals crude and low-sulfur diesel to international markets, including volumes linked to the so-called “shadow fleet” used to bypass Western sanctions. Industry data indicates the port has capacity of roughly 1 million barrels per day, with annual throughput reaching tens of millions of tons.
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The disruption of these two critical hubs, which together manage roughly 60% of Russia’s maritime oil flow, has contributed to global supply concerns, with oil prices soaring amid simultaneous tensions in the Middle East. The strikes are part of a sustained Ukrainian campaign aimed squarely at Russia’s energy export system, with repeated hits on refineries, storage hubs, and key terminals.
Earlier attacks have already disrupted flows from Novorossiysk on the Black Sea and knocked out loading capacity at Primorsk for days last year. Now, with Baltic exports under strain and Middle East supply still constrained, markets are being forced to absorb disruptions from two critical fronts at once, tightening available barrels and driving renewed volatility across both crude and refined products.
By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com
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