Russian Oil Firms To Color Gasoline In Their Own Colors

Russian oil companies plan to colori their gasoline in order to compbat counterfeiting, Financial News daily reported. The Russian Industry Ministry has already supported the idea.

It has not been decided yet whether oil majors will color gasoline in their corporate colors or whether each grade of car fuel will have its own color.
The proponents of the idea say that first counterfeited gasoline will be pushed out of the market. Secondly, if each grade of gasoline has its own color, it will be impossible to sell A-92 grade gasoline as A-95 grade. Thirdly, they say the coloring agents used to color the fuel are absolutely safe for the car engines.

However, experts suppose the idea is not as easy as it seems - chemicals are easily accessible on the market , which means that counterfeiters will be able to color the gasoline just like honest producers. The only effect they say can be a further increase in the costs of the fuel for end consumers.

The specialists also point out that the gasoline could still be diluted, and since the color reagents are quite stable they allow dilution.

As for Russian oil companies, they differ in opinion. The largest oil company Lukoil said that it conducted a coloring experiment in 1991, but that it didn?t lead anywhere.
Tatneft said it?s a good idea but that one should work out the specifications for grades of gasoline rather than for corporate colors.

Russia?s fifth largest producer Sibneft said that it would color its gasoline in light yellow ?so as to remind users of real gasoline?, while state-owned Rosneft said that it?s satisfied with the quality of its gasoline and has no plans to change anything.

Yukos representative said that he would color the company?s gasoline in orange, hinting at Ukraine?s Orange Revolution but that he doubted it would be allowed.