Changes in loading operations at CPC Marine Terminal

In accordance with these regulations, CPC dispatchers have always reduced the tanker loading rate whenever information about the occurrence of unfavorable meteorological conditions (UMC) was received from local authorities.

As applied to loading operations in CPC Marine Terminal sea area, UMC means a short-term combination of meteorological factors (no-wind conditions, gentle wind, unfavorable wind direction, fog, inversion) that leads to harmful (polluting) substances gathering in the surface atmosphere. When crude oil is being loaded, it displaces inert gases from vessel tanks which they are fill in with for safety. The single point moorings are located 5 km from the shore outside sanitary protection zones, many times their width away, which ensures that the gases get dissipated as much as possible down to safe values.

Currently, in order to be informed about UMC occurrence in a timely manner, CPC has a contract with the federal state budgetary institution “North-Caucasus Office for Hydrometeorology and Environment Monitoring”.

In response to petitions from local residents, and based on the outcome of an Ecology in the Port City round-table held as initiated by the Novorossiysk district administration with scientists, experts, and public activists on 26 April 2023, CPC decided to make changes to tanker loading procedure at the Marine Terminal.

Since 27 April 2023, the Consortium initiated tanker loading rate reduction based on actual anemometer readings on-board tanker not only upon actual UMC occurrence, including one announced officially by regulators, but also with  southerly winds in the sea area of the CPC Marine Terminal in Yuzhnaya Ozereevka. 

Relevant changes were made to all internal regulatory documents. Information about the changes was officially communicated to all specialists, the marine facilities maintenance contractor, and the Consortium’s shippers.

The measures reducing harmful emissions during UMC occurrence were agreed with territorial units of the Federal Service for Supervision in Nature Management.

The ecological safety department of the city of Novorossiysk regularly publishes data on the quality of atmospheric air in the city. Data from an institutional integrated laboratory of environmental pollution monitoring indicates that there are no records of any MAC mots (maximum allowed one-time concentrations) being exceeded for suspended substances, hydrogen sulfide, carbon oxide, nitrogen oxide and dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde.

That information is also confirmed by data from a stationary atmospheric air quality monitoring system post of CPC installed on sanitary protection zone boundary of the CPC Shore Facility at point closest to the nearest residential building area in the village of Yuzhnaya Ozereevka. 

CPC will be keeping the public informed about all instances of tanker loading rate being reduced, specifying date and time, on its web resource - Ecoinformer. https://cpc-online.ru/ecoinformer/

For information:

CPC Pipeline System is one of the major investment projects with foreign capital in energy sector in the CIS. The length of the Tengiz – Novorossiysk pipeline is 1,511 km. This route transports over two-thirds of all Kazakhstan export crude, as well as crude from Russian oil fields, including those in the Caspian Region. CPC Marine Terminal is equipped with three Single Point Moorings (SPM’s) that allow to load tankers safely at a significant distance offshore, also amid poor weather conditions.

CPC Shareholders: Federal Agency for State Property Management represented by Transneft (trust management) – 24%, CPC Company – 7%, KazmunayGas – 19%, Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures LLC – 1.75%, 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. S.ar.l. – 2% and Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC – 1,75%.​