MINSK, 27 May (BelTA) – The Belarusian company in charge of operating the long-range oil pipeline system Druzhba – OAO Gomeltransneft Druzhba – cooperating closely with the Russian company AO Transneft-Druzhba has started working to carry out the roadmap designed to remove poor-quality Russian oil from Belarus' territory, the press service of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim told BelTA.
Process regulations and other documents, which are needed for organizing the reverse transportation of polluted oil from the Belarusian territory, have been developed and agreed. The transportation of previously accumulated polluted oil from reservoirs of the line operation dispatcher station Mozyr towards the Russian line operation dispatcher station Unecha using the second line of the oil pipeline began on 24 May 2019. As of 00:00 on 27 May 2019 over 80,000 tonnes of oil had left the Belarusian territory.
The transportation of clean oil towards OAO Mozyr Oil Refinery and towards Ukraine proceeds in accordance with the pumping schedule, the press service added.
Belneftekhim told BelTA that OAO Mozyr Oil Refinery processes quality oil while operating at designed capacity. The quality of output products is controlled at every stage just like the quality of incoming crude oil.
The other Belarusian oil refinery – OAO Naftan – continues working with decreased workload, processing quality oil delivered via the Surgut-Polotsk oil pipeline.
BelTA reported earlier that on 19 April Belneftekhim registered a massive decrease in the quality of the Russian oil mixture Urals flowing in transit into the main oil pipeline section operated by OAO Polotsktransneft Druzhba. The concentration of chlororganic compounds in oil exceeded standard thresholds dozens of times over. Both Belarusian oil refineries – OAO Naftan and Mozyr Oil Refinery – were forced to reduce their workload and have suffered financial losses.
A roadmap on removing poor-quality Russian oil from the Belarusian territory was finalized on 23 May.
