The CPC Terminal, the main outlet for Kazakhstan's crude, is preparing to restart loadings after drone attacks on tankers forced an output cut last week. The halt had removed a significant volume of oil exports from the global market, exacerbating supply concerns. Operators at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium facility are conducting safety checks on vessels and infrastructure before resuming full operations.

The terminal typically handles over 1% of global oil supply, making its status a key factor for Brent pricing. Market participants are monitoring the restart timeline closely, as any prolonged disruption could tighten physical barrels in the Mediterranean. Kazakh authorities have not specified the exact date for full normalization but indicated that technical assessments are underway.

The incident underscores the vulnerability of critical energy infrastructure to asymmetric threats in the region.