Baltic Pipeline System

The Baltic Pipeline System (BPS ) is a run of the Russian oil company Transneft pipeline system for oil. The Baltic pipeline system transports crude oil from the Timan - Pechora oil field or the entire Timan -Pechora Basin, as well as from Western Siberia, the Urals, the Volga Region and Kazakhstan to the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland. From there it can be transported by ship to Western Europe. The name does not refer to the Baltic States, but to the Russian term " Baltic Sea" for the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Pipeline System consists of a pipeline of Yaroslavl after Primorsk, a pumping station in Kirishi and a Erdölverladehafen in Primorsk. There can currently (as of 2006) are loaded simultaneously up to 4 oil tankers. The project also still a total of 17 refineries were built.

The design dates back to 1997, construction began in 2000. Pipeline went on 27 December 2001 with a capacity of 12 million tonnes of oil a year in operation. This was increased continuously through expansion projects in the following years: about 30 million tonnes in 2003, 42 million tonnes in February 2004 and 50 million tonnes in December 2005; Since March 2006 she is 65 million tonnes per year.

Official background of the building was that through this transit fees could be saved, which had after the collapse of the Soviet Union to be paid in the now independent states of Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus. However, should geopolitical reasons have played a role, as a transit of Russian oil through foreign territory was no longer to the extent required by the construction as before. Instance, the Latvian Ventspils Erdölverladehafen is no longer supplied via the pipeline there running, but only on the rail since the end of 2002. In the context of the conflict over the terms of the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline between Russia and Belarus at the turn of 2006/2007 also reflect the supply of Western Europe emerged with oil through increased use of the port of Primorsk ensure the loading station.

The construction of the pipeline has been heavily criticized by environmentalists because of the Gulf of Finland is an ecologically very sensitive area. Due to the increase of tanker traffic in the Baltic Sea is also the danger of a tanker collision in the dangerous and already busy Kadettrinne would rise south of the Danish island of Falster. In addition, located in the immediate vicinity of the port of Primorsk the falling under the Ramsar Convention bird sanctuary Berjosowyje Ostrowa.