Belarus' Economic Ministry has raised tariffs of Russian petroleum transit throughout the country from $0.89 per tonne over 100 kilometers to $1.36 as of January 2009, West-
Transnefteprodukt told Interfax.
The Economic Ministry declined to provide comment to Interfax regarding the report only saying that the tariffs will serve as a base and that Russia's Federal Tariff Service (FTS) still needs to set the rate.
Tariffs on the transit of Russian petroleum products through Belarus should receive the approval of the FTS.
In May of this year, Belarus proposed to the FST a new method of calculating tariffs on oil product transport throughout Belarus. With a FST agreement, the current tariff, according to the Economy Ministry, would have to increased by 28.2% to $1.14 per tonne over 100 kilometers.
The FS confirmed that it had received a Belarusian offer and intended to start an approval procedure.
In 2004, Russia and Belarus signed an intergovernmental agreement for partnership in the use of trunk oil pipelines running throughout Belarusian territory. The agreement included the current rate on transit of $0.89 per tonne over 100 kilometers. In addition, a protocol was
signed confirmed Russia's property rights over West-Transnefteproduct's oil pipeline capacity.
In accordance with the agreement, Belarus-registered OJSC Transnefteprodukt operates the Belarusian trunk pipeline system and its facilities.
OJSC Transnefteprodukt is the operator of the 100% owned subsidiary West- Transnefteprodukt, which transports Russian petroleum products. The company's pipelines cover 1,493 kilometers of Belarusian territory.