Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has restored oil supplies to Belarus through the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline, the company's deputy chief Sergei Grigoriev announced on Thursday.

"Russian oil was pumped to Belarus in full" at 8:22 Moscow time (0522 GMT), the Interfax news agency quoted Grigoriev as saying.

The Unecha pumping station in Bryansk region has resumed operations, the work of trunk pipelines was going to schedule, and no disruption occurred, according to the vice president of the company.

The announcement came one day after Belarus resumed transit of 79,000 tonnes of Russian oil to Europe through the Druzhba pipeline, which the chief of Russian pipeline operator Transneft, Semyon Vainshtok, on Monday accused Belarus of siphoning off on Jan. 6.

Russia provides about a quarter of the oil and gas consumed in the European Union, some being piped through Belarus. The oil disruption, which began on Monday morning, has affected Poland, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has confirmed the resumption of supplies of Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipe. "The resumed oil supplies to MOL refineries are being carried out as normal, at normal pressure," the company said in a statement.

According to the Druzhba export schedule for the first quarter of 2007, the pipeline was to transport 15.5 million tonnes of oil, including 5.56 million tonnes to Germany; 4.61 million tonnes to Poland, another 1.22 million tonnes to the Polish city of Gdansk (for further export); 1.12 million tonnes to the Czech republic; 1.244 million tonnes to Slovakia; and 1.75 million tonnes to Hungary.

However, Transneft chief Semeon Vainshtok said that although oil transit through trunk pipelines passing through Belarus to Europe would be resumed to the maximum, it would not be possible to meet January's supply targets in full.

To make up for the volumes that were not delivered to consumers when oil transit was suspended, Belarusian oil pumping company Gomeltransneft Druzhba is prepared to operate the Druzhba pipeline at its maximum in January, Interfax reported, citing the company's Deputy General Director Pavel Karpovich.

Belarus and Russia have been at loggerheads over oil transit after the two countries resolved a trade dispute over natural gas. Moscow imposed export duties on crude oil supplied to Belarus while Minsk slapped a customs duty on Russian oil exports pumped through Belarus. In response, Russia suspended its crude oil deliveries through the Druzhba oil pipeline on Monday.

The resumption of Russian oil flows came hours after Belarus decided to to annul the transit duty. Belarus said that a compromise had been reached during a telephone conversation between Belarussian and Russian Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua