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Fuel oil shipments from Russia’s Petersburg Oil Terminal (POT) increased by 8.1 percent last month in a comparison with the corresponding month in 2009, Bloomberg reports.

Exports from the terminal are said to have risen by 60,000 metric tonnes to 803,000 tonnnes in November, up from 743,000 tonnes during the same month last year.

The figure is 92,000 tonnes below the 895,000-tonne figure recorded in August, which is the highest recorded so far this year.

Petersburg Oil Terminal (POT) is the largest Russian facility for oil products in the Baltic Sea region. The terminal complex is equipped to accept delivery of both clean and dirty oil products, including high viscosity fuel oil. The annual throughput capacity of the terminal is approximately 12 million tonnes.

Oil products are delivered to the terminal by rail, pipeline and by water. Loading is via sea vessels and road transport.

The modern shore tanks of the terminal have a capacity of 354,000 cubic metres (cbm) and can store a wide variety of oil products. According to POT, there is no requirement for a clear-cut division into dirty and clean shore tanks as the tanks are general purpose and can be switched from one type of oil product to another at short notice,

Terminal Expansion

POT is reported to be planning the construction of a 40,000 cubic metre storage facility for exported petroleum products at the terminal.

The new facility is expected to cost approximately $25 million and is scheduled to enter into operation by April-May 2012.

Once completed, the terminal's total storage capacity will be almost 400,000 cubic metres.