OREANDA-NEWS. Today, October 19, 2009, the joint stock company Ventspils nafta subsidiary - crude oil and petroleum products transshipment company Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd - will be visited by a delegation of 35 people of Iraqi Ministry of Environment of Kurdistan region. The purpose of this visit is to learn experience of Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd in maintaining good environmental management. Since the high standards of environment protection system are recognized as a great basis for organizing good environmental management, the Environment consultations company Venteko Ltd in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Latvia has arranged training course for representatives of Ministry of Environment of Kurdistan on environment protection and management.

The real activity of Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd in complex, continuous and successful dealing with environmental issues is well demonstrated by the permanently ensured environment management system certification - already since 2000, operation of the terminal has been certified in accordance with requirements of the international environmental management standard ISO14001. The periodically necessary recertification procedures are repeated taking into account the latest environment protection standards, by revising and improving quality and management procedures of the company, repeatedly exploring environmental aspects in all work processes of the terminal, and by involving the company's employees who work in the particular processes.

"Environment policy of Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd is not based on imposed standards or norms - our company has continuously taken its own proactive initiative to deal with environmental issues in as much effective manner as possible. For example, management of groundwater and air quality was implemented in the terminal before these matters were even defined as national environmental quality standards. We ourselves have undertaken not only to carry out series of environment protection tasks (to research company's adverse impact on environment and to reduce it, to ensure conformity of the company's operation with the highest environmental standards, to educate employees and encourage their involvement in implementation of environment policy), but also to ask our cooperation partners to make use of environmentally friendly technologies, goods and services," emphasizes Director of Environment and Labor Protection Service of Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd Povilas Pauparas.

Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd arranges implementation of environment policy with the help of environment protection structural unit. There is an environment quality and safety laboratory in the company, which has state of art equipment. In order to address the terminal's environment matters in a coordinated and effective manner, an environment management program is developed and updated every year. The mentioned program covers such comprehensive measures as maintenance of safety level of technological processes, by continuous investments in infrastructure, improvement of the functioning environment monitoring system, remediation of polluted areas, improvement of quality and environment management system, as well as informing the society about achievements of Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd in the area of environmental management.

SIA Ventspils nafta terminals Ltd is a subsidiary of AS Ventspils nafta. 51% of it belongs to AS Ventspils nafta while 49% are owned by the Vitol company Euromin Holdings (Cyprus) Limited. The terminal renders transit services: reception of oil and diesel fuel via pipelines, as well as reception, storage and transshipment of diesel fuel, motor gasoline and other petroleum products delivered by railway and sea.