Transneft keeps 2019 oil export plans despite Druzhba contamination

MOSCOW, Jun 11 (PRIME) -- Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft does not plan any adjustments to its 2019 oil export plans in the wake of contamination of the Druzhba pipeline, Vice President Rashid Sharipov said on Tuesday in a conference call for investors.

“Data for January–May 2019 shows transportation of 198 million tonnes of oil. For comparison, we transported 195.7 million tonnes in January–May 2018. In the period, transshipment in ports grew by 6.5 million tonnes. We are not going to make any adjustments to the plans for 2019 due to incomplete loading,” he said.

Only the amount of oil that Belarus is to supply to Russia in a reverse mode will be adjusted, he said.

Sharipov said that the company expected Druzhba to return to a usual operation mode in two to three months. So far, Transneft doesn’t know what to do with the contaminated oil pumped out of the pipeline, and it will decide on that until mid-July, he said.

Belarusian state petrochemical holding Belneftekhim said in a statement that it submitted its report on the incident and an estimate of losses to the Russian Energy Ministry on May 31.

The problem with the quality of oil coming from Russia to Europe across Belarus via the Druzhba pipeline appeared in April. Good-quality oil deliveries resumed in early May, and Belarus started pumping contaminated oil back to Russia in late May through one of the pipeline’s threads.

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