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Tanker laden with Venezuelan oil for Belarus expected to arrive at Estonian seaport of Muuga on Friday

A tanker carrying a 80,000-ton shipment of Venezuelan crude oil for Belarus is expected to arrive at the Estonian seaport of Muuga on July 23, the ONT television channel reported on Wednesday evening. The shipment will then be delivered to the Naftan oil refinery in Navapolatsk by rail, BelaPAN reports.

Formerly, Venezuelan oil was brought to Ukraine's Odessa seaport and then carried to the refinery in Mazyr by rail.

The first tanker laden with an 80,000-ton shipment of Venezuelan oil arrived at the Odessa port on April 25.

According to the press office of Belarusian Railroads, the rail route from Estonia is shorter than that from Ukraine, as there is a distance of 850 kilometers (528 miles) between Muuga and Navapolatsk compared with 1,051 kilometers (653 miles) between Odessa and Mazyr.

It is unknown whether Venezuelan oil will continue to be delivered via Estonia. The Belarusian government is also considering the possibility of oil deliveries via ports in Latvia and Lithuania.