Independent Russian oil refiner Forteinvest has secured a deal that will allow Russia to send oil to Pakistan by land for the first time as Russian refiners look for alternative markets for motor fuels ahead of an EU import ban.
According to the sources, Forteinvest has received additional requests to supply Pakistan with gasoline, diesel, and LPG. Forteinvest has already sold a trader a 1,000-tonne lot of gasoline from its Orsk plant for delivery to Pakistan.
Due to the lack of direct rail connections between Russia and Pakistan, the refined products will be transported by rail from the Orsk refinery in Russia’s Orenburg region close to the Kazakhstan border to Afghanistan before being reloaded onto tank trucks for delivery to Pakistan.
If terms are reached, Russia could begin exporting oil to Pakistan after March, which is severely short on energy. After leading a government delegation to Moscow to conduct the negotiations, Pakistan’s state minister for petroleum announced in December that Russia would sell crude, gasoline, and diesel oil to Pakistan at reduced prices.
Pakistan and Moscow have never had any significant energy-related business relationships. It currently relies on oil from Gulf nations, which frequently offer facilities like deferred payments and can supply less expensive transportation.
