Russia has halted provides of oil to Poland by way of the Druzhba pipeline, the chief government of Polish refiner PKN Orlen mentioned on Saturday, including that the corporate would faucet different sources to plug the hole. (ALSO READ: Defined: Three conditions that might finish Russia-Ukraine warfare)
The halt in provides by way of the pipeline – which has been exempted from EU sanctions imposed on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine – got here a day after Poland delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
“We’re successfully securing provides. Russia has halted provides to Poland, for which we’re ready. Solely 10% of crude oil has been coming from Russia and we are going to exchange it with oil from different sources,” PKN Orlen Chief Govt Daniel Obajtek wrote on Twitter.
The corporate mentioned it might absolutely provide its refineries by way of sea and that the halt in pipeline provides wouldn’t impression deliveries of gasoline and diesel to purchasers.
As of February, after a contract with Russia’s Rosneft expired, Orlen has been getting oil beneath a take care of Russia’s oil and pure gasoline firm Tatneft.
Tatneft and Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The availability halt got here after U.S. President Joe Biden visited Warsaw and Kyiv this week in a present of assist for Ukraine a yr after the invasion.
On Friday, the European Union agreed on a tenth package deal of sanctions on Russia.
Following the invasion of Ukraine and earlier than the EU embargoed seaborne provides from Russia, Orlen stopped shopping for Russian oil and fuels by way of the ocean.
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The corporate’s provide portfolio now consists of oil from Western Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico, it mentioned. It additionally has a provide contract with Saudi Aramco as of 2022.
Seaborne provides attain Poland by way of Naftoport, an oil terminal in Gdansk on the Baltic Sea. It could obtain 36 million tonnes of oil yearly topping volumes that may be processed by Polish refineries and is partially used to produce oil to refineries in japanese Germany which can be linked to Druzhba.
“Given the capability of Naftoport and the truth that we additionally produce other routes to import motor fuels, purchasers won’t really feel any impression, whereas Orlen has been ready for this for months,” Mateusz Berger, Secretary of State in command of strategic power infrastructure informed Reuters by cellphone.