CPC guarantees efficient and environmentally safe movement of crude oil

The Project is designed to increase the trunk pipeline capacity

Novorossiysky Rabochy, Community members made an inspection visit to the CPC Tank Farm

For the first time in the history of Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Novorossiysk community members visited its restricted facilities: Marine Terminal and Tank Farm. And they were assured: safety is on top.
Doors Open Day
Residents of nearby settlements (the villages of Yuzhnaya Ozereevka, Glebovskoye and Vasilyevka) participated in an unusual tour. They were able to get answers to all the burning and acute questions relating to environmental and industrial safety activities carried out by CPC. Representatives of the city and regional mass media, including the general director of Novorossiysky Rabochy, Tatyana Kirilenko, were among the members of the inspection group.
Mikhail Grishankov, Deputy General Director, CPC RF Government Relations, Vladimir Dmitriev, Deputy Manager, Shore Facilities and Tank Farm Maintenance, and Ekaterina Korshunova, CPC Lead Environmental Engineer, gave a tour around the facilities.
‘Today is the first time when people who are not CPC employees are inside the restricted facility. Actually we are holding a doors open day and demonstrating to the local community how our sophisticated pipeline system operates and what processes take place within the Tank Farm so that people have no ungrounded concerns. We are always open for dialog and ready to answer all questions,’ said Mikhail Grishankov in his welcoming speech.
Risks minimized
There were a lot of questions from the guests. First of all, of course, they were interested in learning more about environmental safety, waste water treatment, water intake and oil vapor emissions at the Tank Farm. In other words, people were interested to know whether the facility pollutes water, soil, and air.
The topic of process safety was raised for a reason. People live near the largest oil storage in the south of Russia where one million tons of “black gold” is stored. The local community wants to be sure that the company fully complies with all safety requirements.
Mikhail Grishankov assured the guests that there could not be and was not any reason for concern at all. According to Mr. Grishankov, due to the Company’s international status CPC could study and adopt the best practices of the Consortium’s partners from all over the world.
‘The most stringent safety requirements in all areas (environment, process, physical security, etc.) have become fundamental for the CPC pipeline system since its first days. The operational reliability of the CPC pipeline system reaches 98%. It is above the average factor worldwide that amounts to 90–95%. That is, the risks are minimized,’ said Mikhail Grishankov.
It is safe to breathe and grow vegetables
During the walking tour, the guests saw for themselves how the CPC Marine Terminal Tank Farm operates. It consists of 10 tanks with a capacity of 100 thousand cubic meters each. All of the tanks are made of anti-corrosion steel sheets of increased thickness and are located in robust concrete dikes (special pits around the tank) that can accommodate the full volume of oil stored in the tanks and prevent an oil spill.
Under the tanks there is a multi-layer compacted sand-gravel bed reinforced with durable protective material. The surface around is covered with high-density film that will prevent oil from penetrating the soil.
To exclude oil vapor emissions the tanks are equipped with specially designed floating roofs with rigid second seals. In other words, these floating roofs move up or down depending on the level of oil in the tank. There is simply no room for oil vapors in the tanks. So, there is no odor around. It is safe to breathe.
In addition, all industrial and household wastewater is discharged to the Marine Terminal cutting-edge treatment facilities. For this purpose, a special closed drain system was built. Therefore, the facility does not pollute the soil, it is safe to grow vegetables and fruits in the gardens of all the villages located near the CPC Tank Farm. The Tank Farm produces water from its own wells.
For your information
CPC Pipeline System is one of the major investment projects in energy sector with participation of foreign capital in the CIS. The length of the pipeline connecting oil fields in Western Kazakhstan with the Marine Terminal in Novorossiysk is 1,511 km. CPC’s Marine Terminal is equipped with Single Point Moorings that allow to load tankers safely at a significant distance offshore, including bad weather conditions.
CPC Shareholders: Russian Federation (represented by Transneft – 24% and CPC Company – 7%) – 31%; Republic of Kazakhstan (represented by KazMunayGaz – 19% and Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures LLC – 1.75%) – 20.75%; Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company - 15%, LUKARCO B.V. - 12.5%, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company – 7.5%, Rosneft-Shell Caspian Ventures Limited – 7.5%, BG Overseas Holding Limited - 2%, Eni International N.A. N.V. - 2% and Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC – 1.75%.
To keep the sea clean
The guests queried whether the CPC facilities were technically able to discharge wastewater into the Black Sea. They received a definitive answer — they are unable to do so.
‘Upon rigorous treatment the wastewater goes to the 35,000 m3 firewater pond. Several years ago, an extra retention pond was constructed as part of Expansion Project,’ told Vladimir Dmitriev.
CPC states without reservation: not a single drop of oil has got into the sea over the past 15 years the CPC Marine Terminal has been operating in area 670. Moreover, today the water area’s flora and fauna have improved compared to when the company just came here. For example, this is the case for the flounder and shellfish. CPC follows very stringent environmental requirements provided for by all international standards, and environmental compliance is carefully monitored and fully ensured.
And the last piece of information, but not the least one, for those who are familiar with the matter and look for documentary evidence for everything. In the summer of 2018, CPC subdivisions underwent the second compliance recertification audit, where the compliance of the CPC HSE Management System with a new version of ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007 was reconfirmed.
‘If you are still interested in getting any information relating to CPC activities, please let us know. We have nothing to hide, we are always open for dialog,’ concluded Mikhail Grishankov and promised that CPC specialists would be always ready to answer any convenient and inconvenient questions.
Feedback from community members
“The environment is well protected”
Elena KUCHERA, Head of Glebovskoye Rural District Administration:
‘Recently, there were heavy rainfalls in Novorossiysk; there was a lot of water, and obviously local residents of neighboring communities had questions: how does the CPC Tank Farm cope with this situation, how is it treating such abundant storm runoffs? Today during this tour we were shown all Tank Farm processes and received a lot of technical details. Having received the information directly from the specialists working at this facility, and seeing everything with our own eyes, we became assured that CPC has advanced and very reliable equipment, therefore, the environment is reliably protected.’
“All concerns were dispelled”
Svetlana ZYKOVA, a resident of Yuzhnaya Ozereevka village:
‘If before I used to have some doubt about the safety of neighborhood with the CPC facility, after today's visit to the Tank Farm they all have dispelled. I will continue to live and work peacefully and look after my garden. I am so glad to have the chance to be here.’
“The local community has nothing to worry about”
Svetlana YAKOVLEVA, a local resident:
‘After today’s tour and discussion with environmental engineers I am convinced that the local community has nothing to worry about. I saw for myself how thoroughly all environmental requirements are observed, how much the company cares about industrial safety. I realized that the Tank Farm does not discharge rainwater to the environment. Now I am assured.
 
Yuliya LISICHKINA