Transport Ministry interested in partnership with Rosneft

Russian Transportation Minister Igor Levitin has signed an agreement between his ministry and local integrated oil and gas company Rosneft. The partnership with Rosneft is groundwork for the implementation of the federal program for the development of transport infrastructure, Levitin said, particularly the construction of new airports in the eastern city of Vladivostok and Irkutsk in Siberia, as well as modernization of airports in other Russian regions. Implementation of the program will start in 2010. Meanwhile, Rosneft noted that it plans, in the medium term, to construct terminals with a total capacity of 30 million tons of oil, including several facilities, in the Far East with an overall capacity of 20 million tons. It also plans to build some facilities near Tuapse seaport on the Black Sea with a capacity of eight million tons. (March 31, 2009)