On February 7, Belarus banned the transit of oil and fertilizers to Lithuania through its territory. Delfi.lt writes that Lithuania is looking for options to bypass our country via Poland or Latvia.
According to the Lithuanian Railways, about 18 trains a day have gone from Lithuania to Belarus since February 1. About 30% of them (5-6 trains) in February are loaded at the Lithuanian stations, while most of the trains go to Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
The trains formed in Lithuania mainly carry oil products, fertilizers, ferrous metals. Reacting to the actions of Belarus, some Lithuanian producers are already trying to use new routes via Poland, says Vaidotas Šileika, President of the Lithuanian Association of Sea Carrier Companies. He noted that Lithuanian carriers could transport cargo by truck or rail through Latvia or Poland.
“One of the routes is to transfer some goods from the railroads to the road and transport them bypassing Belarus or, if the transit by road is not closed, to cross Belarus by road. Another solution is to bypass Belarus and transport cargo by rail via Latvia, but there are doubts whether this route will provide sufficient capacity for transit cargoes. Another alternative is to transport cargoes via Poland, which some Lithuanian producers tested,” Šileika said in a media commentary.
According to Šileika, due to the termination of transit through Belarus, there may appear disruptions in the flow of 2-3 million tons or even more from the port of Klaipeda. It is unclear whether the Viking train, which transports containers to the port of Klaipeda, will be stopped. As Šileika said, as a result of such actions, supply chains will become more expensive, so, naturally, cargo owners will think about whether to choose the port of Klaipeda for their transportation.
belsat.eu
