ODESA, FEBRUARY 2nd, 2011, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — Shipments of Azerbaijan oil to Ukraine will start in April, 2011, Igor Kiryushin, Deputy Minister of Energy and Coal Industry informed journalists, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

The agency has been informed about it today, 2 February, at the press office of Odesa Commercial Sea Port.

According to their information, the official reported, one of the West Ukrainian factories has already signed an agreement on oil shipments of Azerbaijan oil from 1,5 to 3 million ton per year.

As he said, shipping of Azerbaijan oil to oil refineries «Neftehimik-Prikarpatye» (the Ivano-Frankovsk region) and «Galichina» (Lvov region) is planned.

Thus, according to Mr Kiryushin, Azerbaijan oil will be shipped by tankers to Odessa, and transported to Brody by the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline, and to West Ukrainian oil refineries – by one of the oil pipeline «Druzhba» branch lines.

Let's remind, the Minister of Energy and Coal industry Yury Boyko declared that Azerbaijan suggests to ship up to 8 million tons of oil to Ukraine.

In his turn, Natik Aliev, Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan declared that Azerbaijan is able to deliver to Ukraine 5 million tons of oil and 5-7 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas. He has reminded that during 9 months of 2010 Azerbaijan has delivered to Ukraine 160 thousand tons of oil products and over 1 million tons of crude oil that is 5 times more in comparison with 2008.