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For the first ten months of 2007, Sakhalin region has exported goods and materials almost twice as much as compared to the same period last year, a statement from the Far Eastern Customs Department reported.

From January through October, the region has seen exports worth $1.7 billion, or 51.4 percent of its foreign trade turnover, the statement said. Oil has accounted for most of the overall exporting volumes, or 88 percent, showing a two times increase as compared to 2006.

Timber and coal ranked second and third in terms of the region’s exporting volumes, indicating a half and a two-time increase respectively.

According to the statement, most exports for the period have gone to S. Korea, Japan, the USA, China and Singapore. The exports to S. Korea showed the most increase of 5.5 times, while those to China were 3.6 times and to the USA 2.5 times as much as compared to the first ten months of 2006.

For the period, the regional overall turnover amounted to $3.4 billion, which is 8 percent more than for the same period last year. According to statistics, a total of 1,331 companies, private businesses and individuals have been engaged in foreign-economic activity in the region, with Sakhalin-based companies doing business with 83 countries.

During this year’s first ten months, goods and materials worth $1.6 billion have been imported to the region, with the major exporters being S. Korea, the USA, Japan, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and China. The imports from Great Britain showed the greatest increase of 62 percent, while the Netherlands and China had 30 and 18 percent raises in their exports to the region correspondingly.

The imports to Sakhalin have mostly consisted of machinery and ferrous metal products, equipment, mineral products and supply-demand goods, the statement said.