Tankers Of Venezuelan Oil On Way To Belarus

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (left) and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka agreed on the shipments in March.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Tankers_Of_Venezuelan_Oil_On_Way_To_Belarus/2061015.html

KYIV -- Ukraine says three tanker loads of crude oil from Venezuela will reach Belarus this month, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports.

Ukraine's minister of transport and communications, Konstantyn Yefimenko, told journalists in Kyiv today that the three tankers contain a total of 240,000 tons of oil.

A first tanker carrying 80,000 tons docked in the Ukrainian port of Odesa on April 25, from where it was sent by train to Belarus.

It is expected that starting this month, Venezuela will supply Belarus with 240,000 tons of crude monthly.

The deliveries are in line with a deal reached in March between the two countries' leaders.

Belarus has been seeking new sources of crude oil for some time. The volume of crude oil supplied to Belarus by its traditional partner, Russia, fell by 41 percent between January-May this year.