On the night of 25 October, Transneft suspended the delivery of crude oil to the system of Port Makhachkala because of an unacceptable level of moisture content in feedstock, the company stated.
“This night, we stopped accepting crude oil to our system in Makhachkala because the moisture content was nearly 2.7% despite the maximum admissible cap of 0.5%. Tests also show a high content of salinity in the water, typical of sea water,” Transneft explained.
According to the company, this is already the fourteenth suspension due to attempts of Dagnefteprodukt – operating in Port Makhachkala as an intermediary link between the port and Transneft system – to feed crude oil to the pipeline with an excess of admissible moisture content indicators.