The Ukrtransnafta oil transport company is ready to transport 1.8 million tons of Iraqi crude oil to the Ukrtatnafta company (the Kremenchuk petroleum refinery, Poltava region) via Transdniestrian mainline pipelines (in the reverse Odesa-Kremenchuk direction).

Ukrtransnafta's Board Chairman Ihor Kiriushin announced this at the international energy forum that is taking place in Kyiv.

"We have conducted settlements with the Kremenchuk petroleum refinery. This is quite a loss-making operation, but we are prepared to deliver up to 1.8 million tons as of today. We cannot deliver more," he said.

Iraqi crude oil is presently delivered to the Pivdennyi port (Odesa region) by tankers, from where it is transported by rail.

The Transdniestrian pipelines presently operate in the Kremenchuk-Odesa direction.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Ukrtatnafta started importing Iraqi crude oil in January because of a shortage of Russian crude oil that was prompted by the refusal of Russia's Tatneft company to deliver crude oil to Ukrtatnafta because of a corporate conflict.

Moreover, Ukrtatnafta imported crude oil from Belarus for the first time in April.

Ukrtransnafta operates Ukraine's system of major oil pipelines, which is Europe's second largest.