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Tanker with 80,000 tonnes of US oil for Belarus will arrive in Klaipeda in early June

American oil will be delivered from Klaipeda to OJSC Naftan in the Vitebsk region by rail

© AP Photo/Vita Jureviciene

MINSK, May 15. /TASS/. A tanker with 80,000 tonnes of American oil for Belarus will leave the United States on May 17 and is expected to arrive in the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania in early June, spokesman of Belneftekhim oil and gas company Alexander Tishchenko told reporters on Friday.

"Tanker loading started yesterday (May 14 - TASS) at the Beaumont port. Departure from the port is scheduled for May 17, arrival in Klaipeda [is expected] in early June. Bakken blend, 80,000 tonnes," the official said.

Tishchenko noted that American oil will be delivered from Klaipeda to OJSC Naftan in the Vitebsk region by rail.

Earlier US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement that the first batch of US oil will go to Belarus this week. This transaction was concluded with the participation of the US energy trader United Energy Trading, as well as with the assistance of the American company Getka and their Polish partner UNIMOT.

On January 1, 2020, Belarus stopped buying Russian oil and demanded that the price formula be changed. Mikhail Gutseriev’s Safmar Group was the only oil supplier that continued to supply crude to Belarusian refineries. Belarus was also buying oil from traders, supplying it via the port of Klaipeda (Lithuania). Minsk also buys Azerbaijani oil through the port of Odessa (Ukraine) and via the Odessa-Brody pipeline. On late March, Belarus and Russia agreed to resume oil supplies from Russia to the Belarusian refineries.

Belneftekhim reported that it plans to buy 1.13 mln tonnes of Russian oil in May. Alternative deliveries will also continue. Earlier this month, a tanker with 87,000 tonnes of Saudi oil for the republic arrived in the Klaipeda port.

According to a report of Russian state oil company Rosneft, as part of the development of cooperation with Belarus, the company entered into oil contracts with OJSC Naftan, CJSC BNK and OJSC Mozyr Oil Refinery. From April to December 2020, Rosneft will supply 9 million tonnes of oil to the Belarusian refineries.

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