Ural Mountains News

Russia is an energy superpower and the country has vast and rich natural resources. Besides gas and coal reserves (some of the largest in the world), Russia today is ranked as the world’s biggest oil producing nation accounting for well over 12% of the global output. Moreover, the country exports more than 70% of its oil to the world markets. That said, Russia’s output of oil amounts to a third of what collectively the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) produces. The country has relied on oil production for decades, however there has been a notable geographical shift.

Norwegian state oil and gas company Statoil rejected a Russian fuel oil cargo that breached hydrogen sulphide limits, a toxic gas, currently anchored in Rotterdam. The news came as shipping inspectors boarded vessels in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region to test if other cargoes were similarly contaminated. There are fears that another three cargoes from the same source might also breach hydrogen sulphide regulations. The Zoja 2, carrying 26,159 tons of fuel oil was refused permission to discharge its cargo by Rotterdam port officials on Thursday. Navitank, the seller, declined to comment on the possibility that other cargoes sold to traders and refiners might be equally polluted. "There are four cargoes from the same source, ours happens to be the first.