Kazakhstan redirects oil flows to escape Black Sea war zone

Kazakhstan shifts oil to China and BTC as Black Sea risks mount / Photo: Serikzhan Kovlanbayev

KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil and gas company, rerouted 300,000 tons of oil in December 2025 amid restrictions on operations at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).

The company said the oil was redirected through the KazTransOil pipeline system for delivery to Germany, China, and via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) route, as well as through the Russian ports of Novorossiysk and Ust-Luga.

In January 2026, Kazakh oil shipments will also be rerouted due to disruptions following drone attacks on CPC infrastructure, the company said.

KMG noted that it is continuing to develop additional export routes to reduce reliance on the CPC.

Oil exports to Germany increased in 2025, with shipments to the Schwedt refinery totaling 2.1 million tons. Volumes are expected to rise to 2.5 million tons in 2026.

From the port of Aktau, 1.6 million tons of oil were shipped via the BTC route in 2025. Supplies to China remained stable, with exports totaling 1.1 million tons during the year.

Kursiv.media previously reported that oil exports through the CPC fell 45% short of planned volumes due to storms and damage to infrastructure.