Exports of Russian oil products from Kambarka oil tank farm resumed by river route via RPK-Vysotsk-LUKOIL-II

A 4,500-tonne batch of high quality diesel fuel (sulfur content – 10ppm) has been delivered by Volgoneft-155 tanker from LUKOIL-Kambarskaya Neftebaza LLC (Udmurtia) to RPK-Vysotsk-LUKOIL-II terminal  (Leningrad Region) by inland water ways of the Russian Federation. According to the vessel traffic schedule of the port of Vysotsk, unloading began on 17 July 2019 with Volgoneft-163 tanker, which also arrived from Kambarka, to be the next one. LUKOIL terminal will accumulate a large batch of oil products for exports by sea-going tankers.

To resume shipments of oil products, a specially designed river barge was installed at the berth of oil tank farm in Kambarka. Marine Engineering Bureau had developed Project ROB08 for conversion of non-self-propelled barge of 82380 design so that it could be used as a berth on the Kama river.

As a source familiar with the arrangement of the new route told IAA PortNews, the first two tankers have performed a test transportation of oil products. The volumes of oil product transportation by the route have not been determined yet. The ships to be involved are also under consideration. 

From 2004, when Kambarka oil tank farm joined LUKOIL, shipments of export oil products by inland water ways have almost stopped except for a small amount of bunker.  Now, LUKOIL is looking into resuming river shipments in the long-run.

LUKOIL-Kambarskaya Neftebaza LLC currently transships export diesel fuel from pipelines to railway transport. The tank farm numbers 28 tanks with total capacity of 153,400 cbm. With its facilities the company can transship more than 3 million per year.

Marine export oil terminal RPK-Vysotsk-LUKOIL-II OAO is owned by Russia’s largest private oil company LUKOIL. In 2018, oil product cargoes loaded to sea-going tankers at the facility totaled about 10.5 million tonnes, up 5% year-on-year.