Opinions & Interviews

Belarusian losses from polluted Russian oil emphasized

MINSK, 26 April (BelTA) – The state budget and Belarusian oil transport companies are incurring losses due to supplies of poor-quality oil. The statement was made by Chairman of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim Andrei Rybakov during negotiations of representatives of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland in Minsk on 26 April, BelTA has learned.

The official said: “The delivery of poor-quality raw materials has led to the abnormal operation of Belarusian oil refineries, resulting in lower output of oil products and our failure to deliver products to customers. The state budget of Belarus and oil transport organizations are incurring losses.”

According to the Belneftekhim head, Belarus has been registering an excessive amount of organic chlorides in Russian oil for the last few days. Later on Belarusian lab results have been registered and confirmed in Russia, Poland, and Ukraine – along the entire length of the Druzhba main oil pipeline.

As of today the transit flow of oil via the Druzhba pipeline has been stopped in all directions. A considerable amount of poor-quality oil remains in Belarus. “We’ve invited all of you in order to work out the relevant solutions to the existing problem: the resumption of crude oil deliveries to oil refineries and the resumption of the transit oil flow. The Belarusian side has a clear vision of the technical side of things and proposals on normalizing the situation,” Andrei Rybakov concluded.

Last week Belneftekhim reported a sharp decrease in the quality of the Russian oil mixture Urals flowing in transit into the main oil pipeline section operated by OAO Polotsktransneft Druzhba. Expensive equipment at Mozyr Oil Refinery has been damaged as a result. Both Belarusian oil refineries – OAO Naftan and Mozyr Oil Refinery – have been forced to reduce their workload and are incurring losses. On 24 April Poland stopped oil transit via the Druzhba oil pipeline system for an indefinite period of time due to the refusal of Polish and German oil refineries to process poor-quality Russian oil. Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian oil via the Druzhba main oil pipeline in the evening on 25 April.

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