The Belneftekhim Concern has decided to temporarily limit exports of petroleum products due to the deterioration in the quality of Russian oil supplied to Belarus, the deputy chairman of Belneftekhim Uladzimir Sizau said at a meeting of the operational headquarters for monitoring the situation with oil supplies.
“Taking into account the agricultural campaign and the existing risks of processing raw materials with deterioration in quality, we have decided to temporarily limit the supply of petroleum products to export destinations,” he said.
“The restriction is temporary, and as the situation is rectified, the responsibilities for deliveries will be fulfilled by our foreign counterparty,” Sizau stressed.
Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Ihar Lyashenka said that the Belarus-Russia meeting on oil supply is scheduled for April 23. “The Belneftekhim team and the director of the refinery are leaving for Transneft on Tuesday next week to discuss the situation,” said Lyashenka.
According to the vice-premier, it is an emergency. A sharp increase in the content of chlorides in the oil requires the optimization of the plants’ operating mode.
On Friday, April 19, the state-owned concern Belneftekhim reported a sharp deterioration in the quality of oil flowing through the pipeline from Russia. The Belarusian side claims that this may lead to a violation of the technological regimes of the refinery.
Igor Demin, advisor to the president of the Russian company Transneft, acknowledged the deterioration in the quality of the Urals export mix arriving in transit to the Gomeltransoil Druzhba main oil pipeline section. The company promised to rectify the situation.
