A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal overnight on October 18, exposing a major Baltic petroleum-export facility to renewed disruption. A separate projectile strike on a tug off the UAE and typhoon-related port closures in Guam add fresh operational risks.
1. St. Petersburg Oil Terminal Burns After Drone Attack
- St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed that a drone attack caused a fire at the Petersburg Oil Terminal. Emergency crews were deployed to extinguish fires at the terminal and other locations across the city.
- The terminal is a major petroleum-products handling facility in the Greater Port of St. Petersburg, serving export movements through the Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea.
- According to the operator, the facility has an annual throughput capacity of 12.5 million tonnes, with four seagoing tanker berths, one bunkering berth and published petroleum-product loading capacity of approximately 1.1 million tonnes per month.
- Later on October 18, Beglov reported one fatality and five injuries across St. Petersburg following the wider drone attack. Those casualties have not been specifically attributed to the oil terminal.
- The extent of damage to storage tanks, pipelines and marine loading infrastructure remains unconfirmed. No verified terminal-wide loading suspension, tanker casualty, oil spill or export-volume loss has been established.
2. Tug Struck by Two Projectiles Northeast of Khor Fakkan
- October 18: UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a southbound tug was struck by two unidentified projectiles northeast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates.
- The incident was recorded as UKMTO warning 177, adding another confirmed attack report in the Gulf of Oman maritime-security environment.
- The projectiles caused vessel damage and one minor injury. UKMTO reported that the tug continued on its intended course.
- The vessel’s name, IMO number, flag and operator have not been publicly established in the verified reporting.
- The origin of the projectiles and the identity of the attackers remain unknown. This incident is separate from the earlier tanker strikes off Jubail and the unverified Iranian claims concerning mine strikes in Hormuz.
3. Chinese Shipyards Secure Six Containership Newbuildings
- October 18: Container News, citing DynaLiners, reported additional Chinese shipbuilding orders involving Zhonggu Shipping Group, Tsakos and Elbdeich Reederei.
- Zhonggu Shipping Group ordered two conventionally powered 14,000-TEU containerships from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. They will become the largest vessels in Zhonggu’s fleet.
- Tsakos contracted two 3,200-TEU containerships at Hengli Heavy Industries, marking its first reported containership newbuilding orders in four years.
- The Tsakos vessels are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2028 and will be fitted with exhaust-gas scrubbers.
- Elbdeich Reederei is also reported to have ordered two approximately 3,200-TEU containerships from Hengli, with deliveries expected in 2028. The six newly reported vessels represent approximately 40,800 TEU of future capacity; their individual contract signing dates were not established.
4. Super Typhoon Champi Forces Guam and Mariana Islands Port Restrictions
- The US Coast Guard Captain of the Port established Port Heavy Weather Condition ZULU at 07:00 local time on October 17 for Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
- Under ZULU, ports and marinas close to maritime traffic, while cargo handling, bunkering and other marine terminal operations are suspended.
- October 18: The Government of Guam reported that Super Typhoon Champi passed approximately 10 miles south of Merizo at around 04:26 local time.
- The US National Weather Service confirmed the system’s passage as a Category 4 super typhoon, with dangerous winds, heavy rain and coastal hazards continuing after its closest approach.
- As of the reviewed notices, no general reopening authorization had been confirmed. Vessel arrivals, cargo operations and terminal activity remained subject to Coast Guard port-condition orders.
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Sources
RBC, Petersburg Oil Terminal, UK Maritime Trade Operations, Container News, Government of Guam
DeepDraft Security Desk | Live Maritime Security Picture
This update is part of the DeepDraft SITREP series covering developing maritime operational situations.
St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, Ukraine Drone Attacks, Baltic Shipping, Petroleum Exports, Khor Fakkan, UKMTO, Maritime Security, Port Disruption
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