Trading company Vitol started shipping fuel oil through the Russian Black Sea port of Taman in April after halting supplies through Batumi in Georgia. Vitol loaded an 80,000t cargo at Taman. The firm changed its export route after it became cheaper to ship fuel oil from Kazakhstan's Atyrau refinery through Taman than through Batumi. Taman shipments are $20/t cheaper after Russian Railways set lower tariffs for Kazakh supplies to Russian ports at the start of this year, making them equal with rates for Rus- sian firms, market participants say.
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