NORILSK, July 27. /TASS/. Pumping of the fuel and water mix gathered on the Ambarnaya River after the fuel oil spills near Norilsk has started, press service of the Zapolyarny Branch of Norilsk Nickel told TASS on Monday.

"Fuel and water mix pumping from the Ambarnaya [river shore] has started today, the press service said.

Specialists of the Moscow-based Neftetank company have already laid 12 out of 18 kilometers of the pipeline and reached first tanks with the mix. The pumping rate will range from 30 to 40 cubic meters per hour. The work will be carried in three shifts 24 hours per day. According to the stated equipment characteristics, it will take about 42 days to pump the gathered mix.

"About 3-4 km are left from the first tank already approached to the main camp on the Ambarnaya River. We will capture tanks on the way while moving in this direction," Operations Director of Neftetank Roman Kurgin said, cited by the press service. The pipeline has several protection features, Kurgin added.

On May 29, more than 21,000 tonnes of fuel spilled after a storage tank collapsed at the Combined Heat and Power Plant CHPP-3 operated by Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, a subsidiary of metals giant Norilsk Nickel, in the city of Norilsk. The fuel leaked, flooding an area of 180,000 square meters of terrain and also into local rivers, causing damage to the environment.