Primorsk to more than double diesel export volumes

MOSCOW, June 19 (Reuters) - The Russia Baltic Sea port of Primorsek will more than double its diesel export volumes in June thanks to the start of fuel shipments from Tatarstan's TAIF group, industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

An arm of the Transneft pipeline monopoly said that TAIF, a refining group based in Tatarstan, on June 12 started to pipe diesel fuel with sulphur content of 10 parts per million (10 ppm) to Primorsk.

TAIF, whose facilities were recently modernised to produce high-grade fuel, will deliver up to 100,000 tonnes of diesel to Primorsk, Transnefteprodukt said.

The Russian government has ordered companies to upgrade their facilities to produce 10 ppm sulphur content diesel only by 2016 to match European standards.

A source said diesel exports via Primorsk will total around 600,000 tonnes this month, up from some 260,000 tonnes in May when supplies were cut from an average monthly level of just below 500,000 tonnes due to maintenance of refining capacity.

"It would be 600,000 tonnes thanks to TAIF," the source said, adding that the other producers would also increase their supplies.

(Reporting by maxim Nazarov and Vladimir Soldatkin, editing by Jane Baird)