The operator of the Belarusian section of the Druzhba oil pipeline, the Gomeltransnafta Druzhba company, offered the Russian company Transneft to raise the tariff for pumping raw materials. This step is due to a sharp decline in the income of the Belarusian operator, caused by the cessation of Russian oil supplies to Poland and Germany.

According to information published by Kommersant, on May 26, Gomeltransnafta Druzhba approached Transneft with a proposal to increase oil transportation tariffs by 1% from the current level from July 84. Such an increase, according to the Belarusian operator, will allow the company to operate without losses in 2023 and preserve its potential for further development.

The letter states that Gomeltransnafta Druzhba intends to raise the tariff both on the northern branch of the pipeline, directed to Poland and Germany, and on the southern branch, going to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary through Ukraine. Now only the southern branch is fully operational. Only small volumes of Kazakh oil are pumped along the northern branch.

In January-March 2023, the volume of pumping through the Druzhba system decreased by 4,7 times, including in the direction of Poland and Germany - by 12,1 times compared to the level of the previous year. As expected, in January-June, the negative dynamics will continue, the decline will be 5,3 and 16,6 times, respectively. Minsk predicts a reduction in the level of oil transit by the end of the year by 45,9% relative to the declared indicators, and in the direction of Poland and Germany - by 71,2%. This led to losses for Gomeltransnafta Druzhba: in the first quarter, the loss amounted to 329 million rubles, and according to the results of the first half of the year, an increase to 1,26 billion rubles is predicted.