Moskovsky Komsomolets

Contaminated Fuel Found at Sheremetyevo Airport

Foreign inspectors have uncovered risks in the aircraft refueling process at Sheremetyevo airport. The inspectors see a potential disaster in the quality of the fuel.

The Bermuda Department of Civil Aviation, where most Russian airliners are registered, has identified impurities that could lead to microbial corrosion in the fuel used at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Such a defect could trigger a spontaneous engine shutdown.

The inspectors believe that the cause of the corrosion is an old pipeline built in 1974. Aircraft fuel is distributed from a tank from that era. Since then, airport technicians have repeatedly inspected the fuel reservoir and performed the required scheduled maintenance but the inside of the pipe has accumulated a lot of dross over the decades, which affects the quality of the fuel. Therefore, the fuel that flows from the tank is usually dirtier than the fuel that flows in, said one expert.

Bermuda aviation authorities have sent a warning notification about the dangers of using this fuel to the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), which is to resolve the situation. Rosaviatsiya officials found five cases of spontaneous engine shutdown in aircraft based at airports in the region over the past few years. The last such incident occurred on November 15. Bermuda officials believe that all these incidents are connected with flights from Sheremetyevo airport since no such incident has been recorded with aircraft from Vnukovo or Domodedovo airports.

At Sheremetyevo airport, journalists were advised to contact representatives of the fuel suppliers. TNK-BP insisted that it strictly observes fuel standards, fully complies with all applicable regulations, and has received no complaints from any airline on fuel quality.

Gazeta.ru

Modernization Commission Considers Russian Business Problems

Businesses face the same old problems, despite the government’s efforts to improve the investment climate: cumbersome procedures, unjustified denials of requests for land plots and connection to utilities.

“Everything is still the same,” President Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting of his commission on modernization. “Doing business is still a difficult and risky undertaking in Russia.”

The presidential investment ombudsmen appointed in each federal region last year identified the same old problems: Approving an investment project involves a host of complicated procedures; requests for land or extensions on leases are often denied without explanation; getting connected to utility supplies is also a problem, Medvedev said.

“Getting connected to the utility supply network is the biggest problem, Russia comes last in every ranking on that score, even though they have reduced charges in the regions,” Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina said.

The blood plasma filtration center project in the Dubna Special Economic Zone cannot get off the ground because the facility still has no electricity or heating, meaning that medical equipment cannot be installed and there is still no customs terminal.

The President reserved special criticism for the Customs Bureau for closing down terminals without warning or explanation and for delays in clearance. The system for electronic declaration of goods is not working properly. Companies are often required to provide hard copies of documents as well, Nabiullina admitted.

Alexander Onishchuk, President of the Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Consumer Electronic and Computer Equipment, suggested reviewing the existing customs procedures after consultations with businesses.

However, Andrei Belyaninov, Head of the Federal Customs Service seemed unfazed by the criticism. “Customs has accounted for 50% of federal revenues for the last two years. It would be good if the economy yielded some revenues too,” he said, adding that only 37% of companies have ever conducted an international transaction.

Medvedev also cited complaints about the industrial safety watchdog, Rostekhnadzor, which imposes stricter requirements than even the former tax oversight authorities, adding that safety should be maintained without excessive control.

Businesses asked the President to revise the industrial safety procedures and to issue a clear list of rules and criteria for high-risk industries. “We must know what is allowed and what is not because people are afraid to make their own decisions,” said Natalya Kirillova, Head of Permanent K&M.

Natural monopolies’ bills are a sensitive issue that is always discussed at investment climate meetings. “It is very important for a business to know how much electricity will cost in three or four years, so they can calculate their operation costs,” said Alexander Osipov, chairman of an independent energy trader. He proposed signing long-term power supply contracts.

Small businesses also asked Medvedev to appoint regional ombudsmen to protect the rights of businesses. The President made no comment on this. “The discussion was very informative and the set of decisions is generally clear,” presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich said after the meeting.

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

Private Security Firms to Receive Firearms from Police

The police will issue firearms to private security firms only if necessary and upon a request submitted in accordance with the approved form.

Rossiiskaya Gazeta published the Interior Minister’s order that lays out the procedure for the issue of firearms to private security firms (PSF) and the required application form in its Wednesday issue.

The order is in compliance with the laws that specify new rules for the operation of PSFs, which combined hire more than 600,000 middle-aged men, about one-third of whom carry firearms when on duty. It’s efficient when a PSF hires retired military, police or other law-enforcement personnel, who have special training and are law-abiding people. But there have been cases when criminal elements, operating under the guise of a PSF, carried out corporate raids and performed contract killings. These PSFs accumulated large arsenals of firearms and other weapons legally.

PSF identification cards allowed personnel to carry guns that are almost indistinguishable from combat weapons and they actually did carry combat weapons if they or their bosses decided it was necessary. But such decisions were not always justified.

There are cases where PSF-registered guns or rifles were stolen or lost, but the firms’ bosses were reluctant to report it for fear of the consequences, sometimes claiming that the unaccounted for weapons had been destroyed.

As a result, PSFs were instructed last year to hand over their firearms to the police for storage or to sell excessive weapons through specialized second-hand stores. The police were instructed to issue guns to PSFs at their request, only as needed. This somewhat complex procedure is stipulated in the order signed by Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev.

The order includes an application form to receive the requested firearms. The form lists the number of personnel, the number of weapons delivered for storage, and the number of weapons the firm needs to fulfill its contracts. This will help the police monitor weapons because they will also know which facility a given PSF guards, how many of its personnel are assigned to that facility and hence how many firearms the PSF may need.

The minister’s order also stipulates the establishment of special commissions to receive and issue weapons, as well as inspect the weapons’ serviceability, approve the destruction of unserviceable firearms and oversee their destruction.

Note: There are 641,300 private security personnel in Russia guarding 469,200 facilities, from shopping centers and commercial banks to schools and stadiums. A total of 163,000 facilities are guarded by PSFs who cooperate with the local police. Last year, they apprehended and transferred to police custody some 239,800 people, including those suspected of committing serious crimes.

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