Druzhba's lasting impact

Oil contamination on a key Russian export pipeline that shocked the markets may echo long after the fuel has been cleaned up

The pollution of the Druzhba pipeline with organic chloride may impact future consumer demand for Urals blend, while Russia's image damage and reputation risk could also be reflected in a price discount, according to industry analysts. The crisis began on 19 April, when oil contaminated with highly corrosive organic chloride reached Belarus through the Druzhba pipeline, causing an equipment failure at the Belarusian Mozyr refinery. Diluting the ‘dirty oil' with other grades supplied to the plant by rail was unsuccessful. Ukraine and Poland, the Druzhba system's other transit countries to Europe, stopped receiving oil on 24 and 25 April. Built in the 1960s, Druzhba (or Friendship) is one of t