Weather conditions offshore the CPC Marine Terminal allowed to perform inspection of SPM-1 equipment, according to CPC. The SPM was found serviceable and fit for oil transshipment.
Currently, loading via SPM-1 is carried out normally. SPM-2 and SPM-3 remain decommissioned.
In order to prepare for SPM-3 floating hoses repair, the SPM-3 system was flushed. Commencement of repair will be announced later, so far weather prevents the required diving operations.
Oil from shippers is accepted into the oil pipeline system using minimum pumping modes in connection with the lack of available tankage in the tank farms and impossibility of concurrent operation of two SPMs at the Marine Terminal.
As regards the repair timeframe and further maintenance of the Marine Terminal, the company informs:
- repairs on SPM-2 and SPM-3 will take tentatively at least 3-4 weeks;
- operation emergency stock of the most critical equipment is being formed expeditiously. However, situation remains uncertain regarding further supplies of spare parts and equipment needed for stable operation. It should be noted that the main foreign suppliers of components - companies Imodco, Blue Water and Gall Thomson Environmental Ltd. – have already informed JSС «CPC-R» of their refusal to continue cooperation and cancelled all earlier planned supplies, despite a full advance payment made by CPC as far back as December 2021;
- the Board of Directors has discussed this emergency and outlined priority remediation measures.
On 22 March 2022, in order to exclude the risk of oil spill into the Black Sea, loading at the CPC Marine Terminal was suspended at all three single point moorings. This decision was taken after an inspection which revealed damage to SPM-3 and SPM-2 caused by a storm, as well as in connection with the impossibility due to adverse weather to inspect promptly SPM-1 using divers.