Russia is using rail, storage tanks and boats to remove contaminated oil from export, and has so far extracted around 2 million tonnes of the corrupt oil – or over a third of volumes struck.
Industry sources and data showed oil refinery based on a branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which moves crude through the pipeline westwards into Europe, is seen near Mozyr, some 300 kilometres (186 miles) southeast of Minsk, September 11, 2013.
A month ago, Russia had to stop exports via the Druzhba pipeline to Poland and Germany at the northern division of the line and also to Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic from the south.
A total of about 5 million tonnes could have been contaminated by natural chloride, which is used to improve oil extraction, according to the Belarusian operator of some portion of the Druzhba pipeline, and around six months are required to restore the flows fully.
Russia, Belarus and Ukraine still have the lion’s share of contaminated primitive in their pipeline systems – or around 2 million tonnes, with another approximately 1 million stuck at Poland and Germany, according to the traders and industry resources.
Efforts inside Russia and Belarus to find the tainted oil out of the pipeline are crucial because until it is eliminated, regular flows or clean oil to export markets cannot resume. Russia is trying the cleanup by several means. Since the start of May, Russia is sending any tainted oil by rail to the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk – which wasn’t influenced by the contamination, where it is blended with clean oil and then sprinkled.
According to railroad shipment data seen by Reuters, by mid-May, some 80,000 tonnes of contaminated oil has been delivered to Novorossiisk port by railroad from Zhecha station near the Unecha pipeline channel in Russia near the border with Belarus.
According to industry sources up to 100,000 tonnes of contaminated oil is planned to be sent via this course in May. In June, another 100,000 tonnes are anticipated to be discharged to Novorossiisk by rail from Zhecha, sources said.