Russia to Fix Oil Pipeline Contamination Crisis in Two Weeks

Druzhba conduit halted after organic chlorides found in crude
Russia will pump untainted oil into link by April 29: Kozak

A section of the Druzhba crude oil pipeline near Styri, Ukraine.Photographer: John Guillemin/Bloomberg

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By Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Maciej Martewicz, Dina Khrennikova, and Olga Tanas

April 26, 2019 at 7:47 AM UTC

Updated on

April 27, 2019 at 11:18 AM UTC

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Russia aims to restore normal oil flows through a major pipeline to eastern Europe in two weeks, after a chemical contamination that forced refiners to stop taking crude deliveries.

Supplies of untainted crude will reach the border of Belarus by April 29, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said in a statement on Friday. Ukraine, which is further along the 5,500-kilometer (3,420-mile) network, said it expects to receive clean oil by May 3.