OREANDA-NEWS. October 10, 2013. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) issued a warning to “Bashneft” ANK” OJSC and “Gazprom” OJSC to eliminate signs of antimonopoly violations by 23rd October 2013.

Suspected violations include: imposing disadvantageous conditions of contracts for supplying gasoline upon economic and refusing to conclude contracts for supplying gasoline without economic or technological justification (Clauses 3 and 5 Part 1 Article 10 of No.135-FZ Federal Law "On Protection of Competition”).

Earlier a similar warning was issued to “Gazprom Neft” OJSC.

Having analyzed prices on the oil products market, FAS revealed that from July 2013 prices in all segments of the oil products market had been growing.

FAS indicated that the companies must:

- Sell through exchange no less than 10% of their monthly production of gasoline on refinery delivery basis, providing equal, non-discriminatory conditions on supply methods by both railways and main pipelines. Goods should be sold at exchange under the principles of regularity and evenness – distribution of the annual sale of oil products through exchange for each type of exchange goods by months of a calendar year at the level no less that the established value, evenly by days, trading sessions and delivery basis

- Sell gasoline in the off-exchange segment fully in line with the “Rules for trading practice of “Gazprom Neft” OJSC, earlier agreed upon with FAS, in the part of ensuring the principles of priority sale of gasoline to the domestic market of the Russian Federation and non-discriminatory conditions of supplying fuel to independent market participants, with regard to both prices and supply volumes.

As Deputy Head of FAS Anatoly Golomolzin pointed out: “One of the factors that could have affected increased gasoline prices were actions of a number of oil companies, including “Bashneft” ANK” OJSC and “Gazprom” OJSC. The companies that failed to comply with exchange trading rules provided for by the law, and failed to observe equal conditions for buying oil products by independent market participants in the off-exchange segment. We believe that the warnings facilitate favourable conditions on the market of oil products”