Transneft Restored Oil Pumping through Almetyevsk – Kuybyshev-1 Oil Pipeline after Regime of Emergency

Июля 28, 2015

Transneft restored oil pumping through Almetyevsk - Kuybyshev-1 trunk oil pipeline interrupted for one day because of regime of emergency introduction, as is reported by Igor Demin, Press Secretary of the Company.

According to him, some defects were found at the 264th and 265th kilometer during the scheduled inspection in 2014. This section was recognized as dangerous; the oil pipeline service was permitted until July 17, 2015. The company had to repair the pipeline for this period. Emergency teams visited the site several times and tried to conduct the planned repair but faced resistance of the owner of the land plot where that oil pipeline section was located.

As I. Demin clarified, this land plot was bought in 2011 by Aleksey Shapovalov, Samara businessman, for farming subject with encumbrance in the form of a trunk oil pipeline running over his territory.

Owners of such land plots must provide an unhindered access to the oil pipeline for repair operations. It is allowed to sow annual crops on these plots, and Transneft compensates the losses of the enterprises in case of repair operations. “Agricultural enterprises are usually satisfied in this case as we compensate at the highest possible rate,” I. Demin said.

However, A. Shapovalov refused to provide the access to his land plot for the repair teams and offered Transneft to lease this land.

The company addressed to the Governor of Samara Region, Middle Volga Department the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision, Departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Prosecutor-General’s Office for Samara Region asking to resolve the situation but there was no response.

Eventually, Transneft had to reduce the pressure in the pipe to a minimal value by July 17 and interrupt the pumping on Wednesday, July 23. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced the regime of emergency in the area of the defective oil pipeline section after the Company addressed to the Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for Samara Region.

The team of Transneft, which arrived at the site together with the officers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, was met by the armed employees of a private security company (PSC), who obstructed the access to the pipe with cars. The resistance of PSC was overcome only after the appearance of TV journalists on the site of the conflict.

The repair was completed within 24 hours and the pumping resumed.