Transit of Belarusian petroleum products via Russian ports to reach 6.5 mln tonnes in 2023, potash fertilizers to reach 8.4 mln tonnes

VITEBSK. June 19 (Interfax) - Transit deliveries of Belarusian petroleum products through Russian ports are planned to grow to almost 6.5 million tonnes in 2023, while transshipment of potash fertilizers may increase to 8.4 million tonnes, Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Russia and Belarus.

"The amount of petroleum products planned under the transit agreement for transshipment in 2023 is almost 6.5 million tonnes. In 2022, we set the task of transporting about 2.2 million tonnes by rail through Russian ports, but we in fact transported 3.7 million tonnes," Savelyev said.

This year there may be a slight problem implementing the plan for petroleum products as the Mozyr Oil Refinery was switching over to new technologies, and now there is a slight delay. "But we hope that together with our colleagues we will make up for this gap," he said.

"This year we will ensure the transshipment of 8.4 million tonnes of potash fertilizers," the minister said. In 2022, the plan was for about 1.1 million tonnes, and in fact, 3 million tonnes were transported, he said. Since the beginning of 2023, more than 4 million tonnes of fertilizers have been transported, and therefore, it can be assumed that the task will be completed, Savelyev said.

He also noted that since 2023, "Belarusian investors have started working in Russian ports. We started from the Big Port of St. Petersburg, at the Bronka terminal." Now the expansion of the Belarusian presence in the Russian market is being considered, Savelyev said, and 19 out of 63 seaports in Russia are already working with Belarus. As an example of expanding bilateral cooperation, the minister cited the development of the Murmansk transport hub.