Russia, Belarus dispute slows oil deliveries

Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- A dispute between Russia and Belarus has adversely affected oil deliveries to Poland and Western Europe via the 1 million b/d Przyjazn (Friendship) pipeline, according to Polish officials.

Deputy economy minister Piotr Naimski told national television: "This shows us once again that arguments among various countries of the former Soviet Union, between suppliers and transit countries, mean that these deliveries are unreliable from our perspective."

Simon Vaynshtok, the head of Russia's state oil pipeline company Transneft, blamed Belarus for illegally siphoning Russian oil from the Friendship pipeline.

"Since Jan. 6 this year the Belarus side has unilaterally, without any warning, started illegally siphoning off oil from the Friendship oil pipeline destined exclusively for transportation to consumers in Western Europe," he told journalists.

Vaynshtok said 900 tonnes of oil had been illegally taken from the pipeline in the last 24 hours alone, despite measures taken by Transneft.

Belarus officials denied the claims on Jan. 8, saying that supplies had been disrupted because Moscow had cut the pressure in the pipeline system.

"Belarus did not halt Russian oil flows across its territory to third countries," the Belarussian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Pressure at the beginning of the Friendship pipeline on Belarussian territory was lowered. This was not the fault of the Belarussian side."

The two countries are in a dispute over customs duties being imposed on Russian oil.

Belarus last week said it would charge an import duty of $45/tonne of Russian oil shipped to Western Europe in pipelines that cross Belarus. The move followed Russia's earlier decision to impose an export duty of $180/tonne on oil sold to Belarus.

The northern branch of the 1 million b/d Friendship pipeline from Russia through Belarus brings oil to Poland, from which oil can be transited on to Germany. The 1.2-million b/d southern branch of the pipeline runs from Russia through Ukraine into Slovakia.

Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].