MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Russia will export oil via the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Yuzhny without interruption next year, reversing a plan to scrap January shipments, after Moscow agreed to pay higher transit fees for deliveries via Ukraine. The deal, signed late on Monday, averts the threat of oil supply disruptions to Europe. Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneftwill supply 1.5 million tonnes of crude every quarter in 2010 to Yuzhny, spokesman Igor Dyomin said.
The Yuzhny volumes will be in addition to a minimum 15 million tonnes of oil that Transneft will move via Ukraine over the whole of next year along the Druzhba pipeline to European countries including Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Moscow and Kyiv signed a deal that raises the basic transit fee Russia must pay for shipping oil via Ukraine to 6.6 euros ($9.5) per tonne from $7.8 this year.
The agreement came hours after Moscow spooked European customers, reliant on Russia for much of its oil and gas, with a warning the continent could face oil supply cuts because of a dispute over the transit fees.
This dispute had prompted Transneft to scrap its export plans via Yuzhny in January, forcing Russian suppliers such as TNK-BP, Tatneftand state-run sector leader Rosneftto switch to alternative destinations.
Transneft’s Dyomin said these plans had now been revised.
Europe has closely tracked disputes between Russia and its ex-Soviet neighbours after gas supplies to the European Union were cut in the dead of winter in 2006 and 2009 due to rows between Moscow and Kyiv.
