Belarus Plans Import of Oil via Lithuania :: Charter'97 :: News

Since 2008 Belarus plans to import crude oil via Lithuanian terminals, Belarusian Ambassador to Lithuania on Thursday, Reuters informs. “We are discussing possibilities of crude oil import from Venezuela and Iran, it means that we study a possibility to use oil terminals of Butinge and Klaipedos,” Uladzimir Drazhyn said. He said that import of crude oil via Lithuania could make up to 7 million tons a year, it means one third of Belarus’ wants. First deliveries could start in 2008, though the final solution hasn’t been reached.

Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus offered Minsk to consider a variant of crude oil import via a terminal in Klaipeda after Russia suspended oil deliveries to Belarus for several days because of clash of interests concerning imposing new export duties.

This year Russia has imposed export duties on oil for refineries in Belarus, decreasing their profitability and causing concerns of the market over decrease of high quality raw products export to Western Europe and the US.

“We should look for alternative ways of crude oil import, as existing reserves do not meet the growing demand,” the Ambassador said.

Oil refineries in Belarus need up to 21.5 million tons of fuel a year, he added.

Products of these refineries are usually delivered to European markets via Baltic ports, including Klaipeda.

5.5 million tons of oil were transported via oil terminal Klaipedos, and 5.9 million tons of oil via shore terminal Butinge were sent to Mazeikiu Nafta enterprise. Butinge termional belongs to the Polish group PKN Orlen.