Russian Drones to Help Monitor Venezuelan Oil Pipelines

Russia will supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for monitoring oil pipelines and detecting oil spills in Venezuela as per a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed during the XV Russian-Venezuelan Intergovernmental Commission in Moscow earlier this week.

The signing of the MoU took place in the presence of the head of the Venezuelan delegation, Minister of People's Power for Industry and National Production Jorge Appeaca and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov.

The agreement also calls for the provision of fire-fighting foaming agents for extinguishing hydrocarbon fires and protective suits for fire brigades. The possibility of organizing licensed production of fire extinguishing equipment in Venezuela is also envisaged, Russia’s state-run Rostec said in a statement.

A delegation of industrial safety specialists from the PDVSA Corporation visited Moscow on Thursday to agree on the terms of contracts and conduct additional tests. The partners were given the opportunity to evaluate the advantages of Russian developments in "combat" conditions.