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KazMunayGaz adopts special program on struggle against illegal inserts to pipelines

Oil&Gas Materials 14 August 2009 16:55 (UTC +04:00)

Kazakhstan, Astana, Aug.14 / Trend K. Konyrova /

The Kazakh National Joint Stock Company KazMunayGaz adopted a special program, enrolling all subsidiaries of the company, on a straggle against illegal inserts to pipelines, KazMunayGaz general manager on business, Serikbek Elshibekov told Trend . 

It is dealt with technical upgrade of the process. Sensors, measuring devices, sensitive to all external impacts are installed in the pipeline, Elshibekov said.

According to Elshibekov, at present the company studies the idea of using unmanned air transport.

There will be definite demand for these products [unmanned air transport] in Kazakhstan should any company decide to produce them, Elshibekov added.

Existing laws on oil pirates are imperfect, Elshibekov added.

"We have analyzed the relevant legal proceedings and came to a disappointing conclusion. Very often people who are involved in this illegal business, not only freed from the courtroom, but received back their cars and phones. It all leads to impunity," Elshibekov said.

As a rule, the accused are sentenced to conditional punishment and it leads to impunity, increasing illegal inserts, Elshibekov said.

Now this problem occurs not only in Kazakhstan but also in Russia and other CIS countries, Elshibekov added.

Kazakhstan revealed 69 illegal inserts to oil pipelines belonging KazMunayGaz overt the first six months of 2009, the company told Trend . Some 69 illegal inserts to the gas pipelines of the company's East and West branches were registered in the first half of 2009. The amount of damage has exceeded 236 million tenge (150.7 tenge is $ 1), the company said.

The number of similar crimes increased over the past five years. If in 2005 the company revealed 43 facts of illegal inserts to West and East branches of KazMunayGas, in 2008 their number almost doubled: on pipelines of the West Branch the figure made up 91 and on the pipelines of East Branch - 131.

Generally, the company had registered 362 facts of illegal inserts to the pipelines in 2004-2009, the same source said.

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