Transneft Halting Oil Supplies to Poland Due to Pipeline Maintenance

Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said on the 9^th June that it will halt oil shipments to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline for four days to carry out maintenance work, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline, named after the Russian word for friendship, links Russian oilfields to European refineries and has the capacity to pump one million barrels per day (bpd).

Polish pipeline operator PERN said that the halt of supplies has been agreed between the operators and their clients and that deliveries are expected to restart on the 12^th June.

“Technological breaks in supplies from the east which last from one to three days are routine and occur practically every month, of which PERN is informed in monthly delivery plans,” PERN said in a statement.

PERN’s customers are Polish and German refineries. The Polish ones, owned by state-run PKN Orlen and Lotos , have been importing most of their crude from Russia via the pipeline.

PKN Orlen declined to comment. Lotos said that it had been informed about the planned break.

“These events… do not affect the operation of the Gdańsk refinery,” Lotos press office said.

Source: Pipeline & Gas Journal