Belarusian MPs plan to ratify the Belarus-Ukraine intergovernmental agreement on the cooperation in oil transportation at the spring session of the House of Representatives, BelTA learnt from chairman of the House of Representatives’ permanent commission for industry, fuel and energy complex, transport, communications and entrepreneurship Sergei Semashko.

On 2 March the deputies discussed the agreement at the commission’s session and recommended the House of Representatives to ratify it at the spring session that is due to open on 4 April 2011.

The agreement was signed by the governments of Belarus and Ukraine in Kyiv on 12 July 2010. “It lays down mutually beneficial provisions and guarantees the long-term cooperation between the two countries in the utilization of Ukrainian seaports, railways, and pipelines while transporting oil to the Belarusian refineries,” Sergei Semashko said.

In line with the agreement the Ukrainian side is committed to provide facilities for the intake, transshipment and transportation of oil to Belarus. The volume of deliveries is planned at about 4 million tonnes a year starting from May 2010 and until April 2011, with the subsequent increase up to 10 million tonnes a year.

The document also stipulates that the tariff for the oil transportation will stand at $0.27 per tonne/ten km. “It will make the transportation of each tonne $22 cheaper than it was earlier,” said Sergei Semashko.

Belarus and Ukraine are committed to coordinate tariffs and terms of oil transshipment and transportation until 1 November each year.