Russia Could Export Extra Oil From Kozmino in 2014

Russia could ship an additional 1.2 million metric  tons of ESPO crude oil from the Pacific port of Kozmino due to a fire, which halted output at Achinsk refinery in June, a spokesman for oil pipeline monopoly Transneft  told Reuters on Wednesday.
   

"The exports could be increased by 1.2 million metric tons due to the accident at Achinsk refinery," Igor Dyomin said.
 

This would be on top of over 23 million tonnes of oil, which the port plans to ship in 2014.
   

Russia's top oil producer Rosneft halted production at its east Siberian Achinsk refinery after a fire killed at least six people. One industry source said the repairs could take up to six months.
   

Achinsk's capacity stands at around 140,000 barrels of oil per day (7 million metric tons a year), and its stoppage has left Rosneft searching for markets to sell the crude oil which would otherwise had gone to the plant.
   

Last week, Rosneft issued a rare spot export tender for a second month in a row as it struggles to place all its crude domestically after the accident. The additional volumes have pressured Russia Urals crude blend prices.
   

Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov has said Kozmino plans to export 24.6 million metric tons of oil this year (494,000 barrels per day), up from 21.3 million tonnes last year.
 
   

As a part of Moscow's expansion towards eastern markets, the energy ministry predicts the share of oil and oil products sent to Asia will double to 23 percent by 2035.
   

By then, Russia aims to ship a total of 32 percent of its oil to Asia, with gas exports rising to 31 percent from 6 percent.
   

Separately, port data showed on Wednesday Russia exported 11.7 million tonnes of oil from Kozmino in the first half of the year with Japan being the main destination.
   

Following is a table of oil exports from Kozmino in January-June 2014, according to the port:
 

 Destination    volumes,               share in total

                         million tonnes       shipments, pct
 Japan          4.4                              37.6
 China          2.4                              20.5
 South Korea    1.7                        14.5
 Philippines    0.9                          7.7
 Thailand       0.8                            6.8
 Malaysia       0.75                         6.4
 New Zealand    0.3                      2.6
 Singapore      0.27                       2.3
 Taiwan         0.1                            0.9
 Indonesia      0.08                        0.7
 
 (By Vladimir Soldatkin, editing by Thomas Grove and David Evans)