Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.11 / Trend, E. Ismayilov /
Belarus does not plan to stop receiving Azerbaijani oil supplies via main pipelines through Ukraine in 2012 despite improved oil supply terms with Russia, Ukrinform reports on Wednesday citing BNK-Ukraine Director General Nikolai Vasilevich.
"Pumping Azerbaijani oil via Odessa-Brody oil pipeline, as well as delivery of Venezuelan oil by maritime transport through the Estonian Port of Muuga is planned in the near future regardless of Russian oil supplies by pipeline given energy dependence of Belarus on oil supplies, as well as one of the priority challenges set by the Belarusian President in terms of diversification of this resource supply," Vasilevich said.
He said about 980,000 tons of Azerbaijan's Azeri Light oil supplied under the swap contracts between Belarus, Azerbaijan and Venezuela were transported via pipelines to Belarus through Ukraine in January-November 2011.
"According to our calculations, as a whole, the volume of pumping will be slightly more than one million tons. With regard to plans for 2012, they are currently under consideration," Vasilevich said.
The Odessa-Brody oil transportation project sought to diversify oil supplies to Ukrainian refineries and develop the country's transit potential. The pipeline's construction was completed in May 2002. Its trunk has a length of 674 kilometers, with a pipe diameter of 1,020 millimeters. The pipeline's and terminal's capacity provided 9-14 million tons per year during the first stage.