FSU Energy articles from June 2002

FSU Energy archives from June 2002

Transneft tackles quality issue: crude quality is becoming a pressing concern. Russia's pipeline operator is finally getting ready to act.(Brief Article)
June 28, 2002... Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft is pushing for creation of a crude quality bank to compensate producers of higher quality crude for degradation by lower quality volumes in its system. At a pipeline conference in Moscow this week,...

Early warning: Opec will maintain its output cuts, but the strain is starting to show. This will pose a challenge for Russia. (Editorial).(Brief Article)
June 28, 2002... There were no surprises in Vienna this week as Opec agreed to maintain output cuts for another three months. And this time around, in contrast to previous meetings, little attention was paid to Russia's role. The oil producers'...

More crude is coming. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... The Russian government's pipeline export commission (MVK) has pencilled in exports of 3mn b/d (37.8mn t) (see pp14-15) through the Transneft system in the third quarter, including transit shipments. And energy ministry insiders say this is...

Government postpones rail tariff reform. (News).(Brief Article)
June 28, 2002... The Russian government has decided to postpone the equalisation of rail tariffs for Russian destinations--including export ports--with those for shipments to non-Russian ports and other export destinations. The government's commission on...

Yukos prepares second transatlantic VLCC. (News).(Russian oil firms sell crude beyond traditional markets)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Leading Russian oil firms are stepping up efforts to sell crude beyond their traditional markets. The economics appear questionable at the moment, but Russian firms need new markets as crude output and exports rise. Yukos is preparing to...

Mol joins Druzhba-Adria. (News: pipelines).(will allow Russian crude to be shipped to Adriatic)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Hungarian oil and gas company Mol has finally agreed to accept proposed terms for creation of the Druzhba-Adria link, which will allow Russian crude to be shipped to the Adriatic. Mol is now set to sign a transportation agreement that...

Ukraine wants foreign investors for Brody line. (News: pipelines).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Ukraine is continuing its search for international investors for its 300,000 b/d Pivdenne-Brody crude pipeline, envisaged as a transit route to central and eastern Europe for Caspian crude. Oleksander Todiychuk, chairman of pipeline...

Gazprom gets $1bn gas price boost. (News: Gazprom).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... The Russian government last week approved a 15pc gas price hike. The rise will boost the earnings of Gazprom, but the gas monopoly--supported by economic development minister German Gref--had been expecting a 20pc rise. The new level...

State poised to dominate Gazprom board. (News: Gazprom).(Brief Article)
June 28, 2002... Gazprom shareholders were due on 28 June to elect a new board of directors to oversee further reform of the gas giant. The outcome is expected to increase government control over the firm. Government representatives, including deputy...

Gasoline prices on the rise. (News).(Russia)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Russia's retail gasoline prices rose by over 7pc in the first 17 days of June on the previous month, taking the average price to almost 28 cents/litre. This followed an increase of 10.7pc in May--more than six times the month's consumer...

Russia/Ukraine gas transit deal. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Russia and Ukraine last week signed a 10-year gas transit treaty guaranteeing that Russia will transport 110bn [m.sup.3]/yr through Ukraine until 2013. Kiev earns over $1.5bn/yr from gas transit. This year, transit volumes are set to fill to...

New light crude outlet. (News).(Russian oil firms exporting through Kerch channel into Black Sea)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Russian firms have started exporting light crude through the Kerch channel into the Black Sea. Lukoil has sold a cargo of Siberian Light to Italian refiner ERG at dated Brent minus 72 cents/bl cif Augusta for loading at the end of June,...

Ventspils takes to the high seas. (News).(stake in Latvian Shipping Co. sold to Ventspils Nafta)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... A 51pc stake in the Latvian Shipping Company, which operates a 37-strong tanker fleet, was sold this week for $148mn through a public offering on Latvia's stock exchange. Oil terminal operator Ventspils Nafta (VN) acquired 31.32pc, while...

Cold comfort for PSA investors. (News).(production-sharing agreement chapter of Russia's tax code set to be passed)(Brief Article)
June 28, 2002... The long-awaited production-sharing agreement (PSA) chapter for Russia's tax code is due to be passed at its first Duma reading on 28 June, deputies say. The finance ministry-prepared draft, which envisages a larger number of taxes than...

Sakhalin Energy loads first 2002 cargo. (News).(production data for Sakhalin Energy, ExxonMobil Corp.'s drilling operations in Russia)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... The Shell-led Sakhalin Energy consortium loaded the first cargo from its 2002 production season on 23 June. The 700,000 bl cargo will go to a South Korean end-user, one of two cargoes sold by tender in April. The other went to China's...

Mazeikiu Nafta starts refinery upgrade. (News).(oil company investing $400 million to upgrade refinery)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Lithuanian oil company Mazeikiu Nafta (MN), operated by US firm Williams, has started the upgrade of its 263,000 b/d Mazeikiai refinery, already one of the most modern plants in the FSU. Over the next year, the company plans to install a...

Lukoil struggles to regain lost ground. (Companies).(corporate restructuring at Lukoil)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... It may still be Russia's biggest oil producer, but Lukoil has been losing ground to its more forward-looking peers. In an effort to reassert itself, the company is planning radical restructuring and promises to reveal some major new oil and...

Moscow plant stops Sibneft crude deliveries. (Companies).(Sibneft, Moscow Oil and Gas Co. shopped deliveries of crude oil to Moscow refinery)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... The board of the 242,000 b/d Moscow refinery decided last week to suspend July crude deliveries from Sibneft, which holds 36pc of the plant. Crude suppliers to the facility in July will be BrokTradeOil--representing the interests of...

Worldcom fallout hits shares. (Stock markets).(stock price data for energy companies, foreign exchange rates for Former Soviet Union, Europe)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... An Enron-style accounting scandal at US telecoms firm Worldeom proved a bridge too far for already fragile US investor confidence, dealing a hefty blow to equity markets worldwide. US investors rushed to cut their exposure to emerging markets...

Sibneft reaps profits bonanza. (Companies).(Sibneft's financial, sales data)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Sibneft has complemented its astronomical 2001 production growth by almost doubling profits to $1.3bn. The US Gaap-standard results contrast sharply with those of Sibneft's Russian peers, all of whose earnings fell in 2001. "These are...

Asian demand supports products. (Products market).(petroleum product prices, frieght rates)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... * Product prices tracked crude but ended up more or less unchanged on the week. Both heavy fuel oil and gasoil found price support from Asia-Pacific demand, which helped compensate for moderate local interest. * The high-sulphur fuel oil...

Urals steady as July trade begins. (Crude market).(crude oil price data)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... * Outright prices moved little on the week, with dated Brent gaining 10 cents/bl. Urals held its ground against the benchmark in northwest Europe and discounts narrowed by 12 cents/bl in the Mediterranean, boosted by news that 4mn bi is...

Russian 3Q oil exports.(crude oil export schedule for Russia)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Russia's crude export schedule outside the FSU, 3Q 2002 '000t Odessa Exporter Novorossiysk Tuapset ([dagger]) Total through Russia 11,621 2,250...

Netbacks.(data for Russian crude netbacks)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 28, 2002... Russian crude netbacks 26 Jun Ventspils Primorsk Butinge Urals (cif-fit) ($/bl) 23.94 23.94 23.94 Urals (cif-fit) ($/t) 174.76 174.76 174.76 Freight...

Ukraine plans new export outlet; Kiev wants to use its new Pivdenne oil terminal to re-export Russian and Kazakh crude.(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Ukrtransnafta, the Ukrainian pipeline monopoly, last week put 60,000t of crude into a 52km link between its trunk pipeline system and the Pivdenne-Brody line. Ukrtransnafta chairman Oleksander Todiychuk tells Argus that Ukraine plans to start...

Symbols of respectability: Russian oil firms continue to improve their image. And Russia itself is increasingly respectable internationally. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
June 21, 2002... Russia's more savvy oil firms have pulled off such remarkable rehabilitation acts over the past few years that it is sometimes hard to remember when they were ever seen as anything other than paragons of good intent on issues of transparency...

Hurricane's CPC ambitions blocked. (News).(Hurricane Hydrocarbons, Caspian Pipeline Consortium)(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Canada's Hurricane Hydrocarbons has dropped its planned acquisition of BP's 49.9pc stake in Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures (KPV). The Kazakh firm has a 1.75pc stake in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), operator of the 600,000 b/d...

Rosneft investment appetite grows. (News).(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Rosneft has signed a framework agreement with Russia's largest retail bank, state-owned Sberbank, which will open the way for a $1bn credit line for the oil firm's core projects. The firm will sign specific loan deals for individual projects,...

Russia creates Gazprom lobby in Ukraine. (News: Ukraine).(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma last week ordered the government's vice-premier, Oleg Dubina, who is responsible for energy issues, to prepare a blueprint for a proposed Russian-Ukrainian consortium to manage Ukraine's vast gas pipeline...

Alyans comes up with Kherson bid. (News: Ukraine).(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Russian oil investment group Alyans, which operates Ukraine's 170,000 b/d Kherson refinery, indicated last week that it is determined to continue operating the unit and that it plans to buy out Kazakhstan's oil and gas monopoly, Kazmunaigaz....

Russian firms top Iraqi crude list. (Iraq).(Russia benefits from United Nations oil-for-aid program, a surcharge imposed on Iraq to pay for humanitarian supplies and war reparations)
June 21, 2002... Russian oil companies have emerged as the winners in the latest round of the UN's oil-for-aid programme in Iraq. Their success comes despite earlier fears that Russian support for US- and UK-backed "smart sanctions" against Baghdad would...

Yamal gas development takes shape; reserves in Gazprom's established production heartland in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district of western Siberia are dwindling. Long-term plans to increase output hinge on development of new fields on the Yamal peninsula, but these will require tens of billions of dollars of investment. (Gazprom).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 21, 2002... Western Siberia's Yamal-Nenets fields accounted for 92pc of Russian gas giant Gazprom's 512bn [m.sup.3] output last year, and over a third of the country's 46.8 trillion [m.sup.3] of proven reserves. The state-owned firm estimates that $47bn...

Ina interest hots up. (News).
June 21, 2002... Austria's OMV and Hungary's Mol are favourites among 10 would-be buyers that have formally expressed interest in a 25pc plus one share stake in Croatian oil and gas group Ina. The Croatian government hopes to make a final decision on the sale...

Yukos reveals all. (Russia & CIS).(shareholders reveal stakes in company)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 21, 2002... The main shareholders in Yukos have revealed their stakes in the company (see table), winning plaudits from analysts for boosting the company's transparency. Chairman Mikhail Khodorkovsky has acknowledged that he owns over 36pc, worth more...

Yamal row settled. (Russia & CIS).
June 21, 2002... Gazprom and the Polish government have settled a dispute over joint financing of the of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. The Europolgaz joint venture, which operates the Polish section of the line and in which Gazprom and Polish gas firm PGNiG...

BP plans Moscow expansion. (Russia & CIS).
June 21, 2002... BP opened its 36th retail outlet in Moscow on 19 June. The major hopes to increase its retail network in Moscow and the Moscow region to 90-120 stations in the next six years, BP Russia director William Zuersher said at a press conference to...

Tatneft enters China. (Russia & CIS).
June 21, 2002... Tatneft has struck a deal with China's state-owned CNPC to supply well workover equipment for fields in the country's western Sichuan region. The Russian company will apply its technology at three wells operated by CNPC and is due to complete...

BP, Statoil complete Kashagan sell-off. (Caspian/central Asia).(Kazakhstan's North Caspian petroleum wells)
June 21, 2002... The sell-off of BP's 9.52pc and Statoil's 4.76pc stakes in Kazakhstan's North Caspian project--which includes the giant Kashagan structure--has been completed. The remaining shareholders increased their stakes pro rata. The sale of the two...

New Georgian terminal. (Caspian/central Asia).
June 21, 2002... Georgian firm PotiTransEnergy (PTE) aims to start loadings at its new oil export terminal near Poti on the Black Sea by the end of July. The terminal will handle light oil products and light crude grades. Crude and products throughput...

Kazakhs announce new Caspian sell-off. (Caspian/central Asia).(petroleum industry)(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Kazakhstan is planning to auction several offshore blocks in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea by the end of this year. These include include two small structures called Darkhan and Zhambai, the head of state-owned Kazmunaigaz, Lyazat...

Rosneft's prospects in Kurmangazy surge.(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... Rosneft sources indicate that the government is likely to approve the company as the Russian state's agent in the joint development with Kazakhstan of the Kurmangazy field, situated in the northern Caspian. Government officials confirm...

Yukos completes Lithuania deal. (Baltics).
June 21, 2002... Russian oil firm Yukos has completed its acquisition of a 26.85pc stake in Lithuanian oil firm Mazeikiu Nafta (MN) (FSUE, 7 June, p3). A spokesman for MN, in which US firm Williams has an operating stake, says Yukos has already transferred a...

Ventspils shake-up. (Baltics).(management resignations)
June 21, 2002... The resignation of two board members at Latvia's Ventspils Nafta could signal a wider management shake-up at the troubled oil terminal operator. Board members Olafs Berkis and Elena Biktasheva resigned at the start of this month. And...

OMV sets out Balkan ambitions. (Central/eastern Europe).(Austrian oil company OMV (UK) Ltd. to increase gas stations in Romanian and Serbian)
June 21, 2002... Austrian oil company OMV has set out plans for a heavy investment programme in both its Romanian and Serbian retail networks. The firm hopes to invest 160mn [euro] ($151mn) in its Romanian network by 2007 and increase the number of its...

Looking ahead.
June 21, 2002... * Mioge 2002. 25-26 June. Moscow. ITE. Tel: (44 20) 7596 5081 * International Pipeline Forum. Moscow. 26-27 June. Tel (70 95) 141 2480 * Opec members and the leading Eurasian oil and gas producers. 2 July. Moscow. Federal Foundation...

RTS cools off. (Stock markets).(Russian Trading System; energy company shares drop)(Statistical Data Included)
June 21, 2002... A turbulent week in markets elsewhere in the world, particularly on Wall Street, stemmed the advances of Russian equities. The Russian Trading System (RTS) index accordingly shed 9.57pc to 358.2 points. Russian energy company shares all...

TNK polishes its image. (Companies).(Tyumen Oil sets up advisory board)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 21, 2002... Tyumen Oil (TNK) has set up an advisory board, comprising both independent foreign executives and shareholders. The move appears designed to reassure potential strategic investors of the Russian firm's commitment to efficiency and...

Gasoil jumps with futures. (Products market).(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... * Gasoil prices were boosted by a recovery on London futures markets, but increased fuel oil exports helped cap gains at the heavier end of the barrel. Both markets appeared dependent on arbitrage plays for future price direction. * The...

Urals market tightens. (Crude market).(crude prices, June 2002)(Brief Article)
June 21, 2002... * Outright prices were supported through the week, as US crude stocks fell further and tensions in the Middle East increased, renewing fears of a disruption in oil supplies. Benchmark dated Brent rose by almost $2/bl over the week, with Urals...

Data.
June 21, 2002... Crude deliveries to refineries in Russia and the CIS, May 2002. '000t Producer Supplier Volume Salavat Bashneft Bashneft 299.7 ...

Netbacks.(Russian crude)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 21, 2002... Russian crude netbacks 19 Jun Ventspils Primorsk Butinge Urals (cif-fit) ($/bl) 23.83 23.83 23.83 Urals (cif-fit) ($/t) 173.96 173.96 173.96...

Wintershall eyes Urengoi upstream; the German energy company is again considering a move into Russia. This time, the prospects look far better.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Germany's Wintershall is carving out a role in the upstream development of Gazprom's massive Urengoi gas producing zone in western Siberia. The Russian gas giant needs to turn around production at its main complex of fields, which are now...

Three men in a boat: Russia is taking the initiative in resolving the thorny question of the Caspian Sea's legal status. (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
June 14, 2002... After years of fruitless discussion by the littoral states as to which international legal precedent could best be used to crack the Caspian conundrum, Moscow has broken the deadlock by reverting to good old-fashioned pragmatism. For...

Kazakhs pull out of Ukraine's Kherson. (News).(to sell 60% stake in oil refinery, Ukraine)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... Kazakh state-owned firm Kazmunaigaz is to sell its majority stake in Ukraine's Kherson refinery. Russia's Alyans and Rosneft are likely buyers. Kazmunaigaz says it wants to offload its 60pc stake in the 140,000 b/d plant because of the...

Pak appointment gives boost to Kovytka. (News).(Valery Pak)(Rusia Petroleum to proceed with development of gas project, Russia)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... Russia's giant Kovytka gas project looks set for a boost following the appointment of Russia's deputy natural resources minister Valery Pak as the director-general of Kovytka licence-holder Rusia Petroleum. The board of BP-led Rusia...

Moscow, Kiev, Berlin to forge pipeline alliance. (News).(Russia and Ukraine may form joint consortium to manage Ukraine's gas pipeline network)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Russia and Ukraine are discussing the formation of a joint consortium to manage Ukraine's vast gas pipeline network. Germany's Ruhrgas and Wintershall are also likely to take part. The "strategic partnership", which could happen as early...

Gazprom to claw back FSU markets. (News).(to compete with Itera for former Soviet Union gas markets)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Gazprom is aiming to recover the former Soviet Union gas markets that it relinquished to trader Itera in the 'nineties, the company's chairman Alexei Miller says this week. Miller says the company's marketing subsidiary Mezhregiongaz...

Sakhalin II issues tenders. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... The Shell-led Sakhalin II project in Russia has issued two tenders worth over $1bn for construction of an onshore processing facility, associated oil booster station, and up to 1,640km of onshore pipelines. Bids for phase II are to be...

Seaborne products exports hit post-Soviet high. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... A huge surge in fuel oil shipments drove seaborne products exports through FSU ports to a record post-Soviet high of almost 7.9mn t in May. And the continuing thirst of the Chinese market opened up particularly lucrative arbitrage...

Slavneft loses market share in Belarus. (News).(oil)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Slavneft is losing market share in its traditional stronghold of Belarus. A source close to the firm says it has been stripped of a regular 100,000 b/d export allocation to Belarus' 320,000 b/d Mozyr refinery, which is partly owned by...

Urals heads for Uruguay. (News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Glencore has loaded a Urals cargo from Latvia's Baltic port of Butinge, to ship to Uruguay. The Swiss-based trader loaded the 92,000t Ross Sea on 28 May to deliver to Uruguay's state-owned Ancap. Eight 130,000-145,000t Urals cargoes have gone...

The party's over. (Azerbaijan).(petroleum success in country is fading)
June 14, 2002... Azerbaijan's period of oil fever--when the Caspian state's offshore was touted as the "last oil frontier of the 20th century"--is now firmly at an end. And noticeable by their absence from last week's international oil and gas show in Baku...

RTS creeps upwards. (Stock markets).(Russian Trading System)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... US recognition of Russia as a market economy lent some impetus to Russian equities, helping to push the Russian Trading System (RTS) index back up towards the 400 points level. But investors were still left seeking firm trends in a market...

Russia reviews product export duty.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... The Russian government is to rethink limits on the level of petroleum products export duty due to come into force from 1 January 2003. According to amendments to the tax code and customs tariff law, oil products duty should not exceed 90pc of...

CPC May shipments see technical cut.(petroleum industry)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... The CPC terminal near Novorossiysk loaded 215,000 b/d of light Tengiz crude in May, a fall of 30,000 b/d on April. Trading sources say June loadings will be higher. And pipeline deliveries to the terminal will speed up after the CPC...

Sibneft output grows by 20pc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Sibneft, Russia's fifth-largest oil producer, increased output by 20pc last year to 410,000 b/d. The firm is this year targeting growth of 29pc, to 530,000 b/d. The company plans to raise investment in exploration and production to $637mn...

Moscow, Baku fail to sign Caspian pact.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... Azerbaijan and Russia dashed expectations of a final accord to settle their maritime border this week. The presidents of the two countries had been due to sign the agreement in St Petersburg. "There are no unsettled questions in this respect,...

Azerbaijan increases products exports.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Azerbaijan exported 203,000t of products in May, up 5pc on April. Azeri product exports '000t May [+ or -] Jan- May [+ or -] Jan- April May April May ...

Azeri railways hike tariffs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... The Azeri state-owned railroad, AGZhD, has increased the base tariff rate for crude and products rail transportation from Baku to Batumi by $2/t to $12.64/t ($1.70/bl). "We did not raise transit tariffs, we reduced the discounts we used to...

Lithuania to close Ignalina.(power plant closing to help with European Union accession)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... The Lithuanian government has agreed to close its Soviet-designed Ignalina nuclear power plant to smooth the path to EU accession. Both of Ignalina's 1,500MW reactors will be decommissioned by 2009 at the latest. Lithuanian foreign ministry...

Serbia delays Beopetrol privatisation.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... Serbia's privatisation ministry has delayed the sale of a 70pc stake in the country's second-largest fuel retailer, Beopetrol. The sale will not take place until Serbia repeals a decree forbidding the import of oil products, which was imposed...

Looking ahead.
June 14, 2002... * Mioge 2002. 25-26 June. Moscow. ITE. Tel: (44 20) 7596 5081 * International Pipeline Forum. Moscow. 26-27 June. Tel (70 95) 141 2480.

Hungary's Mol sells Slovak stations.(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... Hungary's Mol has sold its 17 petrol stations in Slovakia to its local subsidiary Slovnaft in an effort to unify its local retail network. The stations will be integrated into Slovnaft's own network of 231 stations. Slovnaft has a 30pc share...

New head for CDU.(Central Dispatch Unit appoints director)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2002... Nikolai Bukhantsov, a close ally of energy minister Igor Yusufov, has been appointed director of the ministry's Central Dispatch Unit (CDU), which regulates Russia's crude export allocations. His arrival could signal an end to the unit's role...

Prices fall as fuel oil strength evaporates. (Products market).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... * The falls on crude futures were filtering through to Russian product markets: Fuel oil, which has outperformed other products for most of the year, looked particularly susceptible to losses. The fate of gasoil prices looked likely to hinge...

Urals moves to Asia-Pacific. (Crude market).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... * Dated Brent eased 24cents/bl on the week to end at $23.01/bl. Urals gained against Brent, by 13cent/bl in the Mediterranean and 10cent/bl in northwest Europe, lessening the impact of the benchmark's fall on sellers of the Russian crude. ...

Russian rail data.(table of import/export data for rail industry)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Russian rail exports/imports, May 2002 '000t % chg YTD Crude '000 b/d Apr '000 b/d Gasoline Overland Armenia Azerbaijan ...

Russian oil production.(table of production for various firms)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Russian crude production, April 2002 Apr Apr %chg '000t '000b/d Mar 02 Vertically integrated oil companies 28,356.60 6,900.11...

Netbacks.(table of statistics for petroleum industry in Russia)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
June 14, 2002... Russian crude netbacks 12 Jun Vent- Pri- Butinge Novoro- spils morsk ssiysk Urals (cif-fit) ($/bl) 22.01 22.01 22.01...

Kazakhs agree oil transit terms: a fairer transit agreement with Russia will allow Kazakh oil producers to plan for an expansive future.
June 7, 2002... Russia and Kazakhstan have ended a long-running dispute over the transit of crude. The Russian government this week approved a draft oil transit agreement, which will allow Kazakh crude to cross Russia on terms similar to those granted to...

Turkmenistan--a choice partner? As Turkmen confidence that resources can be exploited unaided grows, foreign firms are being frozen out. .(Editorial)
June 7, 2002... For those prospective foreign investors that duly traipse to the Turkmen capital Ashgabat for conferences and exhibitions every few months or so, the most noticeable change at last week's investment round table was the addition of the title...

TNK drops designs on White Nights. (News).
June 7, 2002... Tyumen Oil (TNK) has abandoned plans to buy into the White Nights joint venture, owned by Croatia's Ina. And Rosneft has unexpectedly replaced TNK as Ina's suitor. TNK's move is attributed to a reassessment of its plans for southeast...

Lithuania lets Yukos buy into MN. (News).(Mazeikiu Nafta)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2002... The Lithuanian parliament this week approved a deal that will allow Russia's Yukos to purchase a 26.85pc stake in refiner and pipeline company Mazeikiu Nafta (MN). The move crosses a significant boundary for Lithuania, which for years has...

Rosneft pushes for state oil reserve. (News).(Brief Article)
June 7, 2002... President Vladimir Putin is backing a Rosneft proposal to create a state oil reserve, a move that would vastly enhance the state-owned firm's powers over export allocations. It would also boost Rosneft chief Sergei Bogdanchikov's influence...