MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2019) At least 450,000 tonnes of contaminated oil in the Druzhba pipeline have been reversed from Belarus to Russia and replaced with clean oil, the Belarusian Belneftekhim state oil company said on Sunday.
"[At least] 450,000 tonnes of contaminated oil have been returned to Russia. It has been replaced with oil that corresponds to state standards," the concern said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Belneftekhim said that the clean-up of contaminated oil from the Druzhba pipeline between Belarus' Mazyr and Russia's Unecha would be completed by mid-August.
The problem with the quality of oil coming from Russia to Belarus through Druzhba pipeline of the Russian state-owned Transneft oil transport monopoly arose in April. Poland and Ukraine halted oil transit from Russia via Belarus after it was discovered that the transported oil was contaminated with chlorides.
Russia launched an investigation into the matter and has so far detained four people over the incident.
