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Work to estimate damage from Druzhba incident still underway, says minister

Supplies via the oil pipeline were fully resumed starting July 1

© Alexander Saverkin/TASS

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The work on estimation of damage from oil contamination in the Druzhba pipeline has not been finalized yet, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview aired by the RBC TV channel on Monday.

"As for recovery of damage for oil with high content of organic chlorides, that work has not been finalized yet. The talks are underway here, the claim settlement work. As evidence (is provided), particular actual documents are provided stating that damage was caused, the Russian side via Transneft considers those issues, it is understanding here, so that those expenses could be reimbursed," he said.

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Cleansing Druzhba pipeline from contaminated oil will go into 2020, says Polish operator

"The issue is not about insane amounts," Novak added.

Transneft planned to finalize the estimation of consequences of the Druzhba pipeline incident by the middle of 2020, while the compensation payments process may last until the end of the first half of 2020.

Feedstock contaminated with organic chlorides penetrated into Transneft’s pipeline system in late April 2019, after which oil supplies were suspended. The investigation believes that oil in the Druzhba pipeline was contaminated through the private Samara Transneft-terminal, which receives oil from several small producers. Supplies via the oil pipeline were fully resumed starting July 1. Transneft reserved 23 bln rubles ($358.2 mln) for compensation of losses due to the Druzhba incident.

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