Russia and Belarus are multiplying Baltic ports by zero
Russia and Belarus on Friday signed an agreement on organizing the transshipment of Belarusian oil products in Russian ports.
Previously, this group of goods went through Baltic ports.
“The agreement is signed for three years, but it is practically unlimited in validity, because it provides for automatic renewal. Russian ports today are ready to transship Belarusian oil products in the amount of 9,8 million tons,” the head of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Vitaly Savelyev, told reporters.
This year, 3,5 million tons will be handled. Russian Railways has reduced tariffs for Belarusian enterprises, so transshipment through Russian ports will not become more expensive.
“The price for Belarusian suppliers of petroleum products is lower than it was during transshipment through the Baltic ports. And all our stevedores, traders and participants from Russian Railways - we all accepted significant discounts based on the volumes offered by the Belarusian side,” said the Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Alexey Avramenko.
The Lithuanian port in Klaipeda, which handles 40 million tons a year, of which 4-6 million tons are oil products from Belarus, will suffer primarily from the decision. In just 9 months of 2020, the Lithuanian side received 23,7 million euros for transshipment.
The final blow to the Klaipeda port will be dealt by Belarus’ refusal to transship potash fertilizers.
“We will continue to work. We still have the opportunity to continue working on other products produced in Belarus, for example... potassium fertilizers are produced for export in a volume of about 10 million tons,” Savelyev said.
“And I even like it. Well, there will be no industry and no railways in the Baltic states, so it will become cleaner and more touristic (sorry for the incorrect spelling of the word),” political scientist Marat Bashirov sneers.
English version :: Read in English Russia and Belarus are multiplying Baltic ports by zero