Russia has tentatively restarted oil product shipments to the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk after floods over the weekend wrought havoc on the transportation infrastructure, industry sources said.

"The railroad has started to take oil products, trains are going, technical workers are following ... I think we will reach the normal loading schedule tomorrow," a source at a refinery plant said.

Torrential rains and resulting floods killed at least 171 people in Russia's Black Sea region, including at least two in Novorossiisk.

Russian Railways had halted rail traffic to Novorossiisk to repair a bridge southwest of Krymsk, the town hardest hit by the disaster. It said initially it would suspend shipments until July 12.

Russian pipeline operator Transneft has also resumed crude exports from Novorossiisk after it suspended shipments on Saturday.

Chernomortransneft, a subsidiary of Transneft, said on Tuesday it continued to handle cargoes in Novorossiisk, where two tankers - an 80,000 tonne crude carrier and a 35,000 tonne fuel oil tanker - are being loaded. (Reuters)