The Ukrainian government has commissioned public corporation Ukrtransneft to start transporting Caspian oil directly through the Odessa-Brody pipeline in 2007, Igor Kiryushin, the company's CEO, told journalists in Kiev Wednesday, RBC reports. Meanwhile, he does not expect any increase in oil transit through this system in 2007. He believes 5m tonnes of oil will be transported in 2007, including Russian oil in reverse mode.
Kiryushin noted that construction of the Polish part of the pipeline has not started yet. He said that it had been planned to try alternating transportation of the Russian export mix and light Caspian oil through the Druzhba pipeline in 2007. Negotiations with Transneft are being held on the subject. The Russian company believes such a transfer is technically very complicated.