Oil via Russia's Druzhba pipeline halted by technical problems
- Pipeline operator has yet to comment
- Sources say problem at pumping station in Russia
- Sources disagree on how long supplies could be interrupted
Russian and Kazakh oil flows to Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany via the Druzhba pipeline have stopped since Thursday due to technical problems at a Russian pumping station, four people familiar with the matter said.
The pipeline, which is one of the world's largest, capable of carrying 2 MMbpd of oil, is the last artery connecting Russian oilfields with European refineries after European Union governments curbed their reliance Russian gas.
Transneft, Druzhba's Russian operator, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Belarus' Belneftekhim confirmed the disruption to oil supplies via Druzhba to BelTA news agency and said its refineries were using stored oil volumes to maintain operations. The company shared the comment it provided to Belta with Reuters.
The sources, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Transneft had detected a problem at the Unecha pumping station in Russia's Bryansk region, some 70 km (45 mi) from the border with Belarus.
Before the halt, the pipeline was shipping 300,000 bpd.
The sources said supplies of Russian oil to Belarus and EU countries were affected, while loadings from Russia's western ports - Novorossiisk, Ust-Luga and Primorsk - were intact. One of the sources said oil might be diverted from Druzhba to the ports.
Another source said the issue might be solved within a couple of days, but a third said supplies would be suspended until the end of the month.
The EU granted Slovakia and Hungary a waiver, allowing them to continue to receive oil from Russia because of their high dependence on it.
Hungary's MOL, which needs the oil for its refineries, said on Friday it had information that the flows could resume in a few days' time, and that the disruption would not affect the region's security of supply.
A spokesperson for the Czech refiner Orlen Unipetrol said that "crude oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are currently uninterrupted."
The cause of the problem was unclear. Kazakhstan has said that a Ukrainian attack on Dec. 11 on oil infrastructure in the Bryansk region had not affected the oil supply via Druzhba.
Kazakhstan's energy ministry said there were currently no concerns regarding Kazakh oil supplies via Druzhba.
Kazakhstan's pipeline operator Kaztransoil did not immediately answer requests.
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