Oil pumping via Baku-Novorossisk pipeline suspended for a day because of strike in Daghestan

On October 23 in the morning oil reception in Makhachkala and its pumping to Novorossiysk was resumed, reported Interfax quoting Igor Demin, official representative of Transneft company.

Yesterday at 9.33 a.m. Dagnefteproduct resumed reception of oil from the tankers in Makhachkala port and pumping of oil into Transneft’s pipeline, he said.

He added that total loss during one day reached 15,000 tons. “We will try to catch up during this week. It is hard to say who suffered in this situation, because there is still time to compensate the losses,” he added.

Demin reminded that on October 22 at 8.15 a.m. oil reception was suspended, because some operators blocked operation of the port to protest at detention of employees of Dagnefteproduct. 

Dagestan Security Department confirmed that six employees of Dagnefteproduct were detained to give evidence to the criminal case of smuggling of oil and oil products by the tankers from Makhachkala port. Demin said that they were interrogated and then released in the evening. 

Because of Dagnefteproduct’s suspension, Transneft was unable to pump oil from Makhachkala to the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline. 

The capacity of the Makhachkala-Novorossiysk oil pipeline is 7.5-8 million tons. Transneft reported that in 2012 it is planned  to pump 4.2 million tons of oil via the Makhachkala-Novorossiysk oil pipeline. Of this volume 1.1 million tons falls to the Russian oil deliveries from the Korchagin field and 3.12 million tons – to the volume of transit oil, reported Russian Oil.—0—