25 million tons of Russian fuel export via the Gulf of Finland
Total export of oil products via the Russian ports of the Gulf of Finland will make 25 million tons in 2007 against 23 million tons in 2006. This year, the port of St. Petersburg and LUKOIL sea terminal in Vysotsk will almost go halves in total export of oil products via the Gulf of Finland. The port of St. Petersburg is to transship about 13 million tons of oil products, which is close to the result of 2006, while DTC "LUKOIL-II" (Vysotsk) plans to handle 12 million tons of cargo, which is a 30%-growth of the terminal’s turnover.
Port of St. Petersburg
Throughput of Petersburg Oil Terminal CJSC (POT), the port’s largest terminal specializing in export transshipment of oil products, is to total 11 million tons in 2007, the terminal’s representatives say. Most probably the figure is to include 0.6 million tons of oil products coming from LUKOIL refineries by rivers of Volga-Baltic waterway. However, no final decision as regards transshipment of heavy fuel oil from river tankers has been made yet but POT management is sure the volume deficiency may be compensated through optimization of railway delivery of oil products.
In summer navigation it is planned to place one storage tanker at the off-harbor area of the port of St. Petersburg. The operations are to be carried out by In-Transit stevedoring company. Throughput of the off-harbor transshipment complex of In-Transit at the anchorage No5 of Kronshtadt may total 1.2 million tons provided that the conflict concerning the storage tanker is settled with the customs, PortNews IAA learnt from the company. A year ago the company placed two storage tankers at Kronshtadt off-harbor area, which enabled it to handle 1.8 million tons of oil products throughout the navigation period.
As mass media reported earlier, in 2007 new decree of Federal Customs Service provisions collecting heavy duties from storage tankers as from goods temporally entering the Russian Federation. It makes export chain involving off-road tankers unprofitable. New decree has already resulted in transferal of two storage tankers from Russian port of Caucasus to Ukraine early in 2007. The route of export transshipment of Russian oil products via off-harbor complexes has been preserved but all port charges and other fees are paid to another country today. Apparently, it influenced the opinion of FCS. On April 9, 2007, interdepartmental board of RF Transport Ministry and FCS decided to support export routes based on off-harbor transshipment. Thus, before summer navigation starts at Volga-Baltic waterway, a corresponding governmental decree may appear to permit off-harbor transshipment under profitable conditions in the port of St. Petersburg.
Off-harbor tanker of the port of St. Petersburg will receive cargo from a group of Samara refineries, as well as from Nizhnekamski refinery of TAIF group. Vision Fleet LLC is to be the main carrier of oil products at this route, PortNews IAA learnt from Peotr Razumov, Director General of the shipping company. Besides, the vessels of Tanker Union are also to operate at this route.
Besides the above volumes, minor batches of oil products are made and dispatched by bunker market representatives operating in the port of St. Petersburg. According to the forecast made by the analytical department of PortNews IAA, their total volume will make 400-500 thou tons of oil products in 2007.
Vysotsk terminal
In summer navigation DTC "LUKOIL-II" (Vysotsk) (LUKOIL sea terminal, Leningrad region) plans to accept 100 thou tons of heavy fuel oil per month, PortNews IAA learnt fromSergei Kiselev, the terminal’s production deputy Director General. Cargo is to be delivered by river tankers operated by Volga Fleet Tanker (Volga Shipping Company OJSC). As Viktor Olerski, Volga Shipping Company BOD member, told PortNews IAA earlier, in summer 2007 the company is to transport about 1.2 million tons of heavy fuel oil to St. Petersburg and Vysotsk. About 600 thou tons of the volume will fall on Vysotsk and the same volume – on St. Petersburg (most probably POT).