Russian crude oil flowing again to Czech Unipetrol’s Litvinov refinery

Prague, May 29 - Neftegaz.RU. Deliveries of Russian crude oil to Unipetrol’s Litvinov refinery via the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline have resumed after resolving the contamination of supplies, said the parent company of the Czech refiner and petrochemicals producer, Poland’s PKN Orlen on May 28, ICIS News reported.

Druzhba pipeline supplies of oil to Litvinov and other refineries across central and east Europe, as well as to German facilities, were suspended in late April after contaminated crude entered the system.

During the suspension, Unipetrol relied on loaned state oil reserves cleared for delivery by the Czech government. PKN Orlen said the throughput of oil at Unipetrol refineries was not impacted by the Druzhba suspension.

Unipetrol’s 544,000 tonne/year steam cracker is located at the Litvinov site. Slovakia’s Slovnaft said on 23 May that Druzhba oil supplies were again flowing to its Bratislava oil and petrochemicals complex.

Russia’s energy ministry said 5m tonnes of oil were contaminated with organic chloride before supplies were suspended. Both Russia and Belarusare still working on taking out tainted oil stuck in the pipeline system, the world’s longest at around 4,000 km.