On
2 July, 2025, a group of environmental activists, as well as mass media correspondents
and some residents of Novorossiysk and coastal settlements within the
municipality who contacted the hotline “Safe City Call Center”, visited CPC
Marine Terminal Tank Farm. The visit represented another proactive step of
Caspian Pipeline Consortium to provide environmental protection and develop
dialog with the public on the issues related to emissions of volatile organic
compounds when tankers are loaded with crude oil.Consortium’s
Managers and specialists showed the guests Marine Terminal facilities and
informed them about modern and safe processes employed for hydrocarbons
storage, movement and loading. In
particular, the meeting participants were shown automatic air control system
Atmosphere in operation since the start of 2023.
Automatic
air control system Atmosphere developed by NPO PRIBOR GANK at the request of
CPC includes a stationary post and two mobile ones. Each of the posts has 2
three-channel gas analyzers GANK-4V (included in the State Register of
Measuring Instruments of the Russian Federation), a metocean station, a
sampling probe, a wireless communication modem, a backup power system, device
status sensors.
Certified
optical sensors of the gas analyzers continuously measure the content of
various chemicals in the air per methodologies certified at the federal level
establishing the respective limitations. Chemicals such as saturated
hydrocarbons C1-C5, C6-C10, C12-C19, toluene, benzene, xylene, methyl- and
ethyl mercaptans are measured for compliance with Maximum Allowable
Concentration (MAC) standards in atmospheric air.
The
stationary post of the automatic air control system is a thermally protected,
vandal protected box installed on the limits of CPC Marine Terminal sanitary
protected zone and residential building area. Stationary post data are publicly
available at the website of CPC Panorama:
https://cpc-online.ru/specprojects/ecoinformer/
The
visitors were also briefed about the basic operating scheme of the Marine
Terminal. Crude oil from the trunk pipeline first enters the Marine Terminal
Tank Farm located in the mountains. The Tank Farm represents one of the largest
in Russia oil storages with the total capacity of 1 mln tons. Ten RVS-100000
tanks equipped with an automated fire suppression system are located within
reliable reinforced concrete dykes capable of holding 120% of each tank's
contents. To prevent oil vapor emissions into the atmosphere, the tanks are
equipped with floating roofs with rigid second seals.
Due
to the difference in height of Tank Farm (TF) and the Shore Facilities (SF),
Marine Terminal oil from the TF tanks flows by gravity through the inter-site
pipeline to the SF and then through subsea pipelines to the single point
moorings (SPM), from where it is delivered to the ship tanks of tankers via two
floating loading hoses.
SPM’s
are located at a considerable distance from the shore (approx. 5 km), which
provides maximum dissipation of pollutant emissions from the tankers to reach
concentrations that are safe for humans. Findings show that concentrations of
pollutants at the shoreline are considerably lower than the allowable limits.
The
guests were shown a high-tech complex for the treatment of domestic and
industrial rainwater and a wastewater disposal system. Wastewater is treated up
to the regulatory indicators and is used to replenish the fire water stock at
the Marine Terminal, which makes it possible to exclude wastewater discharge
into the sea area.
As
a reminder: since 2018, CPC has been arranging on a regular basis Doors Open
days and roundtables for environmental activists, local residents and media
correspondents, introducing them to the operation processes of oil
transportation. In 2023 two such roundtables and a visit of Krasnodar Krai
Legislative Assembly deputies took place. On 16 April
2024, a group of environmental activists, local residents of Novorossiysk,
Rayevskaya village, Yuzhnaya Ozereevka and Glebovka settlements and media
representatives visited CPC Tank Farm.
In
addition to such initiatives that make oil movement operations more
understandable and transparent, Consortium engages specialized organizations to
conduct scientific and monitoring research into the state of the Black Sea
ecosystems and the quality of air within the area where CPC Marine Terminal
operates.
For information:
CPC Pipeline System is one of the major projects
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
oil, and crude from Russian oil fields, including those in the Caspian Region.
CPC Marine Terminal is equipped with three Single Point Moorings (SPM) that
allow to load tankers safely at a significant distance offshore.
CPC Shareholders: Russian Federation – 24 %, IC
CPC Company (LLC) – 7%, NC KazMunayGas JSC – 19%, Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures
LLC – 1.75%, Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company – 15%, Lukoil International
GmbH - 12.5%, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company– 7.5%, Rosneft-Shell Caspian
Ventures Limited– 7.5%, BG Overseas Holdings Limited– 2%, Eni International
N.A. N.V. S.ar.l. – 2% and Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC – 1.75%.