During the month of May, the first shipment of U.S. crude oil bound for Belarus departed port, bound for its destination nearly halfway around the world. The United States’ Department of State recognized the importance of this occasion with a statement they released to the public.
According to the State Department, “This competitive deal, by U.S. energy trader United Energy Trading, with the assistance of U.S. firm Getka and their Polish partner UNIMOT, strengthens Belarusian sovereignty and independence, demonstrates that the United States is ready to deliver trade opportunities for American companies interested in entering the Belarusian market, and fulfills the commitment the United States made to Belarus in February with government leaders in Minsk.”
The prepared statement continued as follows:
“As the biggest oil and gas producer in the world, the United States stands ready to meet the import requirements of countries that, like Belarus, want to benefit from enhanced energy security based on supply diversification and trade rooted in the U.S. commercial values of free enterprise, the rule of law, and transparent deals free of corruption.
“The United States urges Belarus to build on the progress it has made to increase the access of American businesses to its market and undertake the market-oriented, trade-liberalizing reforms necessary to advance its WTO accession process. These developments will help Belarus unlock its full trade and investment potential and secure its future. The United States looks forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership.”
For their own part, United Energy Trading also commented on the occasion, noting in Mid-May that its newly formed subsidiary, UET Global, had “shipped its first Aframax ship for Belarus.” The designation “Aframax” refers to the size of the tanker. See accompanying chart for an indication of how an Aframax vessels compares to other large tankers.
