Transneft oil transport tariff to rise 5.5 pct

MOSCOW, Sept 21 (Reuters) - State-run pipeline operator Transneft will get a 5.5 percent tariff rise on oil shipments it handles, Russia's tariff regulator said on Friday.

"The tariff will increase by 5.5 percent from October, 1," Denis Volkov, head of the Federal Tariff Service (FST) oil and gas department told Reuters. "It will be valid for approximately one year."

Earlier this month, Transneft, which runs Russia's 50,000 km-long network of oil pipelines, said it was seeking a rise of nearly 6 percent in the tariff for 2012. The tariffs are Transneft's only source of revenue and an important item in the cost line for oil companies.

The regulator published a detailed guidance on oil tariffs for specific routes on its website at www.fstrf.ru/docs/projects/27. (Reporting By Vladimir Soldatkin, Writing by Alexei Anishchuk)