A tanker has docked at Caspian Pipeline Consortium's Single Point Mooring 2 after nearly nine months out of service, signaling the loading buoy may be nearing a return to operations, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing Planet Labs satellite imagery.
SPM 2 is one of three loading buoys at the CPC terminal on Russia's Black Sea coast, which handles 80% of Kazakhstan's crude exports. A Ukrainian drone attack halted the buoy in November, while CPC began its planned replacement in May, the report added.
The tanker's arrival could signal final testing at SPM 2 ahead of a restart, as tankers typically flush loading lines before the buoy returns to service.
CPC did not immediately reply to' request for comment.
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