MINSK, 21 January (BelTA) – Belarus has bought 80,000 tonnes of Norway's oil to be processed at its Naftan oil refinery, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian state petrochemical concern Belneftekhim.
“The Belarusian oil company has purchased a batch of oil from Norway. Some 80,000 tonnes of Norway's oil will be processed at OAO Naftan,” the press service said.
According to Belneftekhim, the oil will be shipped via Lithuania's Klaipeda port. “The batch will arrive in the latter part of January,” Belneftekhim added. The oil will be delivered to Belarus by rail.
Belneftekhim did not comment on the prospects for further supplies of Norway's oil to Belarus.
BelTA reported earlier that on 1 January Russia stopped delivering oil to Belarus. Belarusian oil refineries – Mozyr Oil Refinery and OAO Naftan – reduced their workload to the minimum the technology allows. Belneftekhim is ready to satisfy the domestic demand for automobile fuel in full. The export of oil products was temporarily suspended. On 4 January Belneftekhim announced its agreement with a Russian company for the first batch of oil without paying a premium. The Belarusian government said that ways for alternative oil supplies are under consideration.
