IRKUTSK, January 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's oil deliveries to China via the Trans-Siberian railroad increased 33.6%, year-on-year, in 2006 to more than 10 million metric tons (73.3 million barrels), Russian railroad officials said Monday.
"In 2006, the Trans-Siberian Railroad transported more than 10 million metric tons of crude, or 2,283,000 metric tons [16.7 million barrels] more than in the previous year," railroad officials said.
China so far receives Russian oil by rail only. The energy-hungry economy will be able to import more crude from Russia when state oil pipeline monopoly Transneft completes the Siberia-Pacific pipeline project.
The pipeline is slated to pump up to 1.6 million barrels per day of crude from Siberia to Russia's Far East, which will then be sent on to China and the Asia-Pacific region.
