Kazakhstan's main export pipeline returns to full capacity after mooring points repaired - CPC

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Kazakhstan's main oil export pipeline, returned to full capacity on Sunday at its terminalon the Russian Black Sea Coast after maintenance was completed at one mooring point and a tanker loaded with crude. Kazakhstan, the 12th largest oil producer in the world, has been facing a number of challenges in recent months. These include an attack by a Ukrainian drone on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in late November, which caused the pipeline to pump at below capacity, and a shutdown in production earlier this month at the vast Tengiz field.

Since a Ukrainian drone damaged the single mooring point 2 (SPM-2), which is a floating buoy that connects tankers for oil loading, the CPC terminal has been working below capacity.

This?attack only left one?mooring-point -- SPM-1 -- operational, while a third -- SPM-3 -- was under maintenance. CPC has now confirmed that SPM-3 was back in service and loaded a vessel on Sunday. CPC, which has shareholders from Russia, Kazakhstan and the United States, announced that repair work had been completed at the CPC sea terminus on the SPM-3 docking point. The SPM-3 was repaired earlier in the day, according to a report published on Sunday.

CPC stated that the underwater hoses were also replaced and tested and that a container was currently being loaded.

CPC stated that "in?this regard we stress that the fulfillment of oil ships' requests according annual plans is guaranteed with the simultaneous operation of two SPMs."

Three SPMs, located approximately 5 km (3 miles) away from the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka CPC Terminal near Novorossiysk, are used to load offshore tankers; usually two of them are active and one is a backup.

Tengiz, which is the primary source of CPC Blend may continue to limit shipments. Tengizchevroil, operated by Chevron and causing a power outage after the fire, has issued a force majeure for CPC Blend.

CPC's 1,500 km pipeline is owned jointly by Kazmunaygas of Kazakhstan, Lukoil of Russia, Chevron, and ExxonMobil. Guy Faulconbridge, Guy Faulconbridge (Reporting and editing)

(source: Reuters)