The chlorides can severely damage oil refineries and on April 24 Russia’s state pipeline operator, Transneft PJSC, halted shipments. Moscow pledged to resolve the issue right away; four weeks later, the flow of Russian oil into Europe is little more than a trickle. “Negotiations and payment arrangements here could well take some time, delaying the full resumption of flows.”Then there’s the mystery of what’s happening to Russia’s crude oil while Druzhba is shut. Russian oil officials talk about 20 million barrels contaminated, but oil traders and refining executives believe the real number may be closer to 40 million. Russian oil officials have pinpointed the contamination to a small, privately-owned terminal in the Samara region, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Moscow.

Source: National Post May 28, 2019 15:31 UTC