NEFTE Compass articles from January 2002

NEFTE Compass archives from January 2002

Putin opens gateway to the north. (Shining Sea).(Russian President Vladimir Putin)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... President Vladimir Putin brought 2001 to a close with the triumphant opening of the port of Primorsk, Russia's first oil outlet on the Baltic Sea. He called Primorsk Russia's "own window on Europe" for crude transshipment, borrowing from...

Caspian exploration to branch out in 2002. (Changing Tack).(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... After a lackluster 2001, the search for crude oil in the Caspian Sea seems set to branch out into new areas, with Kazakstan in particular looking to step up exploration on its continental shelf. "Without delay the government must start...

Russian Companies eye refining opportunities. (Bella Bella).(Surgutneftegaz Industrial Association)(Slavneft)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Facing export curbs but with no plans to cut crude production, Russian oil companies are looking to neighboring Belarus for opportunities to refine their incremental crude. Surgutneftegas and Slavneft announced last week that they are going...

Kazakstan presses Russia for long-term treaty. (Neighbors).(crude exports)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Russia's Interdepartmental commission on access to export pipelines (MVK) chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko is to meet in mid-January to discuss the thorny issue of crude transit by Kazak producers via Russia. Russian...

Alliance reinvents itself as an Oil Company. (New Look).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... The Alliance Group, an asset management firm set up by a former Sidanco president, the late Zia Bazhaev, is to register an oil company under the same name in early 2002. Alliance, the oil company, will unite the Far Eastern Khabarovsk...

Surgutneftegas quits novorossiysk. (Change of Heart).(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... In a major change to trading patterns, Surgutneftegas is not nominating any crude cargoes for the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Russia's main outlet. The change had been expected by many analysts after the major sold its stake in trader Nafta...

Lukoil sees big future for norsi refinery. (Norsi no More).(Russia)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... The Norsi refinery, snapped up by Lukoil for a bargain $26 million last year, is to be polished into the "jewel" in Russia's refining industry, company sources say. Lukoil experts say the plant would have cost $105 million to build from...

Sibur sells GPP assets to Surgutneftegas. (Coming Home).(gas processing plants, Western Siberia, Russia)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Following its recent offer to sell its nine gas processing plants (GPPs) in Western Siberia to pay off its debts to Gazprom, gas processor Sibur has sold the assets of Surgut GPP to Surgutneftegas (NC Dec. l3, p6). The parties decided not...

Russia stumps up funds for Vietnam refinery. (Vietross).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Russia and Vietnam are pressing ahead with the construction of the Vietnam's first oil refinery. The Vietross joint venture between Russia's Zarubezhneft and the state-owned Petrovietnam (Vietnam Oil and Gas Corp.) has got a $250 million loan...

Ventspils Crude Loading Program for January 2002.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Ventspils Crude Loading Program For January 2002 Position Date Exporter Supplier 1. 03-04 Suvar Tatneft 05-06 Polotsk-Ventspils ...

Lukoil stake set for London listing. (Stake Out).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... A 6% stake in Lukoil, Russia's largest oil company, is almost certain to be sold to international investors in mid-2002, company sources tell Nefte Compass. The Russian government, which owns 14% of Lukoil, had hoped to sell the 6% stake...

Yukos up in arms over VNK sale delay. (Raging Fury).(Eastern Oil Co.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... The government has postponed the sale of its 36.8% stake in Eastern Oil Co. (VNK) until Feb. 14 from Dec. 29 in order "to maximize income to the state budget." The decision has enraged Yukos, a majority shareholder in VNK, whose prize...

Equities: Share prices closing on December 28, 2002 ($/Share).(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Equities Share Prices Closing On December 28, 2002 ($/Share) Closing Change From 12 Months Locally Traded Shares Price Dec.18, 2002 High Low Chemogomeft 2.88 ...

Currencies.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Currencies Former Soviet Union US Dollar Exchange Rates Jan.2'02 Dec.19'02 Russia ruble 30.50 30.28 American dram 562.20 564.86 Azerbaijani manat 4,774 4,764...

Hurricane joins the CPC family. (Kazakstan).(Hurricane Hydrocarbons, Caspian Pipeline Consortium)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Hurricane Hydrocarbons looks almost certain to become a minority shareholder in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) after none of the existing shareholders pre-empted on the Canadian company's agreement to buy BPs interest. In a $100...

Gazprom complains at privatization terms. (Lithuania).(Lietuvos Dujos)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Lithuania is pressing ahead with the first stage of the privatization of state-owned gas company Lietuvos Dujos, which calls for a 34% stake to be sold to a strategic investor (NC Nov. 22,p7). According to the Lithuanian Economy Ministry,...

Russian investors sound out opportunities. (Azerbaijan).
January 3, 2002... Following in the footsteps of Lukoil, Yukos has entered talks with Azeri state oil company Socar on the possible acquisition of a stake in the sponsorship group to build the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) 1 million b/d oil pipeline. Socar...

Alibekmola shunts into early oil mode. (Kazakstan).(oil field)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Kazakoil Aktobe, a 50-50 joint venture set up last year between the state oil company and UK-based independent Nelson Resources, has started production of "early oil" from the onshore Alibekmola field in the western Aktyubinsk region. ...

TNK turns lisichansk refinery around. (Ukraine).(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Having completed the construction of a $100 million catalytic cracking unit at its Ryazan oil refinery, Tyumen Oil Co. (TNK) has started a bout of scheduled maintenance of its 320,000 b/d capacity Lisichansk refinery in Ukraine. The...

CPC set for 2001 facelift. (Overhaul).
January 3, 2002... Producers from the autonomous republic of Kalmykia are poised to feed the first barrels of Russia's Urals export blend into the pipeline operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). The CPC line runs through Kalmykia, which prompted...

Privatizations deal mol an unlucky hand. (Mol Hill).(Brief Article)
January 3, 2002... Hungary's oil and gas company Mol, a leader in East European regional consolidation, has received a major setback in two key privatization projects in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A 62.99% stake in Czech oil and chemical firm Unipetrol...

Schedule of export supplies, first quarter 2002 ('000 metric tons). (Russia).(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Schedule Of Export Supplies, First Quarter 2002 ('000 metric tons) Novo Tuapse (*) Ventspils Germany TOTAL 9,151 1,200 1,800 4,956 Rosneft ...

Muted reaction to Opec announcement. (Crude Oil).(production cut)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Opec -- as predicted -- decided on a production cut of 1.5 million b/d which, with support from five non-Opec countries, could deprive the market of almost 2 million bid. However, an announcement is one thing -- implementing the cuts quite...

Mediterranean price advantage may shrink. (Products).(Russian gas oil)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Russian gas oil still enjoys a $6-$8/ton premium in the Mediterranean compared with Northwest Europe. But the northsouth arbitrage could start to reverse as stronger Black Sea loadings coincide with a revival in NWE heating oil demand. ...

Marketplace.(crude oil prices)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 3, 2002... Marketplace Spot Crude Oil Prices $/barrel f.o.b. terminal, or c.i.f. destination Jan 2'02 Dec. 19'02 Chg. Dated Brent f.o.b. (38 API) 20.25 18.60 1.65...

Climbing rail exports skirt opec cuts. (Sweet Lies).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Not to be slowed down by promises to Opec or by nasty weather that hampers loadings, Russian oil companies are finding new ways to move crude oil out of the country. They are exploring the virtually unlimited capacity of rail shipments. At...

Police round up Sibur Kingpins. (Naked Truth).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Nobody can sleep securely in Russia these days, as Sibur President Yakov Goldovsky found out this week when he was detained by the General's Prosecutor's Office. A criminal investigation has been launched into the alleged illegal transfer of...

Lukoil presses ahead with consolidation. (Family Reunion).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Lukoil is pressing ahead with its consolidation crusade. West Siberian producer Vatoil is next in line to disappear from the list of independent producers, as the 60,000 b/d company will be incorporated in Lukoil-Perm within two months, sources...

Rosneft plans 2002 output growth. (High Hopes).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... State-owned Rosneft is planning to raise crude output this year along with Russia's other oil majors. The company's board of directors is set to approve in mid-January a business plan envisaging an 8% production increase to 323,000 b/d. ...

Russian refining continues rising. (Runner Up).(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Russian refineries ramped up crude processing in November, and they are set to continue raising it into the new year, as Moscow strives to divert crude to the domestic market by cutting exports. Refinery processing reached 3.55 million b/d...

Russia to cut crude export duty. (Eight Ball).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Russia is to cut its crude export duty to $8 per metric ton in February and March, from 23.4 euros ($20.84)/ton at present, according to a recommendation by the Commission For Protective Measures In Foreign Trade. The new duty will take...

Lucille masks Western Loans. (B.B. King).(Rosneft)(Sibneft)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Lucille, a mysterious trading outfit, has reappeared on the November list of buyers out of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, picking up a cargo from state-owned Rosneft. The romantic name first came to attention in early autumn, when Lucille...

Northern Oil plans output hike. (North Star).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Northern Oil, an independent producer in the northern TimanPechora oil province, is planning on ramping up crude output by a third next year to 1.45 million metric tons (29,000 b/d) from last year's 1.09 million tons (22,000 b/d). The...

Shell and Gazprom to finalize deal. (Chinese Noodles).(PetroChina Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... While confusion and delay continue to cloud prospects for China's planned 4,200 km West-toEast gas pipeline, insiders from at least two of the camps in the multiparty discussions say that a definitive "deal" of some type could be signed as soon...

Yukos backs out of Kvaerner. (Escape Hatch).(YUKOS Oil Co.)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Yukos is poised to sell off its 22% stake in Anglo-Norwegian engineering and construction group Kvaerner. However, the Russian oil company will hold on to the oil field services divisions that it purchased from Kvaerner - assets Yukos had...

Tatneft considers $200 million Eurobonds. (Ben Franklins).(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... Faced with mounting debts that are due this year, Tatneft is getting ready to roll over a portion of them by issuing Eurobonds worth $200 million. According to the company's president Shafagat Takhautdinov, the paper might be launched in the...

Equities.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Equities Share Prices Closing On Januray 8, 2002 ($/Share) Closing Change From 12 Months Price Dec. 28, 2001 High Low Locally Traded Shares ...

Currencies.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Currencies Jan.9'02 Jan.2'02 US Dollar Exchange Rates Former Soviet Union Russian ruble 30.55 30.50 Armenian dram 562.55 562.20 Azerbaijani manat ...

Nazarbaev faces political challenges at home. (Kazakstan).(Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... As he sets off on a two-week vacation, President Nursultan Nazarbaev will have time to ponder the turbulent events at the end of last year which have provided one of his biggest political tests since he came to power over ten years ago. But the...

Druzhba sales remain unchanged. (Status Quo).(Ukraine)(Brief Article)
January 10, 2002... A protracted campaign by Swiss-registered trader Crown Resources to affect changes in the supply patterns along the Druzhba pipeline has yet to yield results, since the quarterly and annual crude delivery contracts will look very much the same,...

Young Aliev to keep an eye on revenues. (Azerbaijan).(President Heidar Aliev's son IIham appointed member of State Oil Fund)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... President Heidar Aliev has appointed his son IIham, vice president of state oil company Socar and deputy head of the pro-government Yeni Azerbaijan party, as one of ten members of a supervisory council to oversee the State Oil Fund, which came...

EBRD pulls out of Azeri upstream. (Azerbaijan).(European Bank for Reconstruction and Development sells stake in Salyan Oil)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has called an international tender to sell its 30% stake in Salyan Oil, the joint venture led by state-owned Socar which operates the onshore Kursangi and Karabagli fields. One of the...

Halyk bank sells stock. (Kazakstan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Strange things are happening at Halyk, the former state savings bank that has assets worth over $800 million and is the focus of a power struggle between competing Kazak business interests. In mid-November, the government sold its...

Poland's PKN outlines sales. (Poland).(Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen, diesel oil and gasoline, 2002)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Poland's largest refiner Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen said on Jan. 2 that it had concluded three wholesale agreements for the sale of gasoline and diesel oil to be delivered during 2002, totaling just over $896 million (3.52 billion zloty), to...

Moscow and Kiev agree new transit terms. (Ukraine).(gas transportation across Ukraine)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Russia and Ukraine have finally negotiated new terms for gas transportation across Ukraine. For the first time, part of the transit fees due to Kiev will be paid in cash. The Russian government approved the protocol to the...

Kazak crude oil and condensate production, December 2001 ('000 metrictons or '000 b/d).(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Kazak crude oil and condensate production, December 2001 ('000 metric tons or '000 b/d) Kazak crude production skyrocketed in 2001 to 802,700 barrels per day, a 19.6% rise on the previous year's levels, propped up by new export...

Russia: Russian crude exports to Non-CIS markets, December 2001 ('000 metric tons).(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Russia Russian crude exports to non-CIS markets, December 2001 ('000 metric tons) Novo Tuapse Odessa Ventspils GRAND TOTAL (*) 2,882 430 941 1,362...

Trading Ploy makes prices go Haywire. (Crude).(crude oil prices)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Brent futures prices went haywire this week, trading a $1.78/bbl range between $20.62 and $22.40 courtesy of a trading scheme. This was supposed to have ended in a bookout via the IPE, but with February still trading at a 90cents premium to...

Cold spell boosts gas oil. (Products).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Mediterranean gas oil differentials enjoyed a run-up, as a cold spell caught local markets short of heating oil. But cash values were partly eroded by futures losses. The market in Northwest Europe is stagnant due to an absence of both local...

Marketplace.(spot crude oil prices)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 10, 2002... Marketplace Jan. 9'0 Jan. 2'02 Chg. Spot Crude Oil Prices $/barrel f.o.b. terminal, or c.i.f. destination Dated Brent f.o.b. (38 API) 20.05 20.25 -0.20...

Yukos gets a French polish with total recall. (French Toast).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... In the longer perspective, moves by Yukos and fellow oil companies Tyumen Oil Co. (TNK) and Sibneft to improve their reputations could pave the way for Western investors to buy sizable chunks of the three companies. The owners of the Russian...

Lukoil wants chevron executive on board. (Welcome Aboard).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Richard Matzke, Chevron Texaco vice chairman for upstream operations, and emerging markets maestro Mark Mobius are to be put forward for election as independent directors of Lukoil's board as the company's shareholders assemble in June for...

Slavneft makes Russian breakthrough in Sudan. (African Safari).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... After more than a year of negotiations with the Sudanese authorities, Slavneft has become the first Russian company to sign an oil production agreement in the African state. The Russian oil company has signed a 25-year production sharing...

Surgut signs Bashkir refining deal. (New Year Bash).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Faced with rising crude output but limited export options, Surgutneftegas is expanding its domestic refining base. The West Siberian producer has signed an agreement with the autonomous republic of Bashkortostan to supply 6 million metric...

Iraqi oil deals come under scrutiny. (Target Practice).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... The General Prosecutor's Office is broadening its range of targets for criminal investigations. It is promising to look into Russian oil firms trading Iraqi oil, after having last week detained three top figures in gas processor and...

Blue stream on target for spring launch. (Blue Streak).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... The Blue Stream project is on track, with the first of two subsea pipelines between Dzhugba in southern Russia and Samsun on the coast of northern Turkey due in place by the end of first quarter 2002. Domenico Dispenza, the managing...

Confusing data clouds exports. (Number Crunch).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Russia is not helping to settle the current volatility in international oil prices, by coming up with obfuscatory data by the State Customs Committee, the body ultimately responsibly for tallying crude export shipments by pipeline and rail. ...

Ventspils cashes in as butinge remains idle. (Upbeat).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... As the Lithuanian port of Butinge struggles to restart operations after almost two months of sitting idle, its major Baltic Sea competitor, Ventspils, has received a boost. The Latvian port has been handed a generous allocation of 280,000 b/d...

No flood expected from scrapping quotas. (Low Tide).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... The government's decision to scrap the export quota on fuel oil, starting in January, is not expected to result in a flood of material to European markets. The Energy Ministry had, in any case, rendered the quotas ineffective by handing out a...

Sibneft foils onaco consolidation. (Spoiler).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Tyumen Oil Co. (TNK)-owned Orenburg Oil Co. (Onaco) has made a valiant attempt to consolidate equity in its subsidiaries. But it has been foiled by Sibneft, the largest minority shareholder in Onaco's principal subsidiary, Orenburgneft. ...

Interros seeks seat on Rusia board. (Above board).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Vladimir Potanin's Interros Group has requested an extraordinary shareholders meeting at Rusia Petroleum, which holds the license to the giant Kovykta gas field in Eastern Siberia, in the hope of electing a candidate to the board. As a 25%...

Equities: Share prices closing on January 15, 2002. ($/Share).(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Equities Share Prices Closing On January 15, 2002 ($/Share) Closing Change From 12 Months Locally Traded Shares Price Jan.8, 2002 High Low Chemogomeft 3.38 ...

Currencies.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Illustration)
January 17, 2002... Currencies Former Soviet Union US Dollar Exchange Rates Jan.16'02 Jan.9'02 Russian ruble 30.54 30.55 Armenian dram 565.48 562.55 Azerbaijani manat 4,797 4,786...

Lukoil stands on the threshold of BTC line. (Azerbaijan).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Lukoil has taken a "decision in principle" to join the BP-led sponsorship group to build the BakuTbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, and is finalizing the details with Azeri state oil company Socar, Lukoil sources say. In December, Lukoil president...

Exxon nears completion Of Nakhichevan well. (Azerbaijan).(Brief Article)
January 17, 2002... Exxon Mobil has dismissed local reports that results from its first well on the offshore Nakhichevan structure are less than stellar. "We can only say that it's premature to speculate about the outcome. We're still drilling," an Exxon...

Yukos hits snag over Transpetrol deal. (Slovakia).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... The Slovak government has postponed for an indefinite period the signing of the contract formalizing the sale of a 49% stake in national pipeline operator Transpetrol to Russia's Yukos. The deal is to be finalized only upon completion of an...

Gas sales set to grow sharply. (Turkmenistan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Turkmenistan increased its gas exports to 37.2 Bcm last year, 11% higher than in 2000. This year, they are expected to reach 57 Bcm. The list of regular customers for Turkmen gas is likely to stay unchanged, with 40 Bcm being earmarked for...

Privatizations lack clear policy direction. (Poland).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Hungary's Mol is on tenterhooks at it awaits the verdict on the sale of the state's 17.58% stake in Poland's biggest refining group, PKN Orlen. The Polish authorities have promised to announce its decision by the end of this week. Mol's...

Pavlodar refinery runs at the double. (Kazakstan).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Crude processing in Kazakstan's three refineries rose in 2001 by 22% to 152,900 b/d (7.6 million metric tons) compared with the previous year. The Pavlodar refinery, which is jointly run by national pipeline operator Kaztransoil (KTO) and...

Q4 offtakers of seaborne crude exports ('000 metric tons).(Illustration)
January 17, 2002... Q4 Offtakers Of Seaborne Crude Exports ('000 metric tons) October 2001 Offtaker Producer Novorossiysk Brent Europe Udmurttorf Brent Europe ...

Urals implodes in NWE, crashes in Med. (Crude Oil).(Urals Oil Co., Northwest Europe, Mediterranean)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Brent prices remained unsettled by a continuing paper-play involving futures, derivatives, and 15-day Brent cargoes. Expiring February Brent futures traded a volatile $2.36 range between $21.30 and $19.94, and the jury is still out on whether...

Med demand cushions falling gas oil. (Products).(Mediterranean)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Products took a tumble with crude. But Russian gas oil's fall was cushioned in the Mediterranean by a further rise in premiums. Differentials sagged slightly in Northwest Europe. Shipments of Russian gas oil out of the Baltic Sea ports...

Marketplace.(crude oil)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 17, 2002... Marketplace Spot Crude Oil Prices $/barrel f.o.b. terminal, or c.i.f. destination Jan. 15'02 Jan. 9'02 Chg. Dated Brent f.o.b. (38 API) 18.35 20.05 -1.70...

Investors undeterred by Kazak power intrigue. (The Searchers).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... Undeterred by signs of disarray in the Kazak corridors of power, foreign investors are seeking out fresh upstream business in Central Asia's oil and gas El Dorado. Industry insiders insist the next six months could see a string of...

Russia divided over crude export curbs. (The Temptations).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... A fight has broken out over how much crude Russia should produce this year, driving a wedge deeper into the country's already divided oil community. A meeting on Jan. 22 of leading oil companies with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov failed...

Taurus builds terminal to ramp rail exports. (Estonian Outlet).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... Lukoil is gearing up to become a major exporter of crude by rail, now that construction has begun on an export terminal at the Baltic Sea port of Tallinn in Estonia. The $30 million terminal, which will have an annual capacity of 3 million...

Slavneft comes out on top in Ulyanovsk. (Savior).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... The Ulyanovsk local administration has given up plans to set up a regional oil company, now that Slavneft has taken up the mantle of developing the region's upstream. Having acquired control of the three main local producers, Slavneft...

Proposals made for baltic products pipeline. (Double Barrel).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... National oil products pipeline operator Transnefteproduct is hatching a plan to build an oil products pipeline similar to the BPS Baltic crude pipeline system. The products pipeline would run parallel to the BPS crude line to the Baltic...

New riga terminal to rival ventspils. (That's Lat).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... The Baltic Sea port of Ventspils could face greater competition for transshipping Russian gas oil as local retailer Dinaz unveils plans to invest $100 million on building an oil terminal in the capital, Riga. The Riga-based company, which...

Stroitransgas next in line for probe. (Pipe Probe).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... Oil and gas pipeline contractor Stroitransgas could become the next target in the widening campaign of criminal investigations by the General Prosecutor's Office. Partly owned by the relatives of ex-Gazprom CEO Rem Vyakhirev and former...

Karachaganak swap boosts exports via Russia. (Kazak Rise).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... A month after its approval, the protocol on Kazak crude exports transiting Russia has been increased by 60,000 b/d (3 million metric tons) as the two countries signed an amendment on a swap scheme involving gas condensate produced by the...

Yukos buys Rospan from Itera. (Bargaining Chip).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... Yukos has purchased a controlling stake in Siberian gas producer Rospan from Florida-registered trader Itera. The acquisition allows Yukos to apply pressure on Tyumen Oil Co. (TNK). As the main creditor of Rospan, TNK had agreed with Itera...

Lukoil challenged over Greek privatization. (Dirty Dancing).(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... Lukoil has come under attack on the eve of the Hellenic Petroleum privatization in Greece, by a minority shareholder attempting to undermine the Russian major's chances of winning. Swedish investment company Vostok Nafta has accused Lukoil...

Equities.(Brief Article)
January 24, 2002... Equities Share Prices Closing On January 22, 2002 ($/Share) Closing Change From 12 Months Locally Traded Shares Price Jan. 15, 2002 High Low Chemogorneft 3.38 ...