Russia reports major oil spill from export line on Belarus border

Moscow (Platts)--31Jul2006

An accident at the Druzhba oil pipeline in the Bryansk region in central
Russia near the border with Belarus has resulted in spilling of large volumes
of crude and may cause an ecological catastrophe in the region, Russia's
natural resources ministry said Monday.
The spill polluted some 10 sq km, the ministry said, adding that it had
so far had no exact figures on how much oil spilt. A preliminary investigation
showed the spill was the result of the pipeline's disruption but it is still
unclear what caused the incident, the ministry said.
The ministry is to assess the damage and to prevent further pollution of
the territory, the ministry said. It could not specify at the moment when the
accident took place, saying the news came this morning.
The Druzhba oil pipeline pumps around 1-mil b/d of Russian crude to
Europe. The pipeline operator Transneft was not immediately available to
comment.
--Nadia Rodova, nadia_rodova@platts.com

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