MOSCOW: Belarus plans to export up to 300,000 tonnes of oil products via Estonian and Latvian ports in March, industry sources and Refinitiv data showed, keeping shipments even after a deal to redirect flows to Russia was signed last week.

Russia and Belarus signed a three-year agreement last Friday to re-direct Belarusian oil products to Russian ports, bypassing the Baltic states, in retaliation after the three nations imposed sanctions on top officials in Minsk.

The deal calls for up to 10 million tonnes of oil products shipments, split over three years, from March, and is part of a show of support for Minsk from Moscow following last year's presidential election, which Alexander Lukashenko said he won but opposition parties in Belarus said was rigged.

According to the railway shipments plans on the Refinitiv Eikon terminal, up to 174,000 tonnes of fuel oil would be transported from Mozyr and Novopolotsk refineries to the Estonian port of Muuga, on a par with this month's plans.

Latvian ports of Riga and Ventspils are projected to get up to 111,000 tonnes of gasoline produced at the Mozyr refinery, an increase from 74,000 tonnes set for February.

It was not immediately clear why shipments via the Baltic ports are set to remain despite the recent deal. There is no data yet on shipments via Russian ports. The railway shipments plans are preliminary and could be revised, trading sources added.

One of the sources said the heavy oil products from Belarus would be exported via Estonian ports next month, while the light oil products would be loaded from Russian ports.

The Belarusian Oil Company is tendering to sell up to 37,000 tons of gasoline produced at the Mozyr refinery for delivery via the Portenergo terminal in the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga in March.

Meanwhile, the Novaya Oil Company has postponed a tender for 0.8 million tonnes of fuel oil produced at the Mozyr refinery for delivery via the Baltic port of St Petersburg between March and December 2021 to March 10.