Slovakia orders tankers with Russian oil due to halt in supplies via Druzhba oil pipeline

Slovakia has ordered tankers with Russian oil to Croatia due to the halt in supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.

Slovak oil refiner Slovnaft has ordered seven tankers with oil from Saudi Arabia, Norway, Kazakhstan and Libya, enkorr reports.

The oil will be delivered to a Croatian port. The deliveries will allow the Slovnaft refinery, a unit of Hungarian MOL, to resume full operation from April. Until then, raw materials will be supplied from Slovakia’s strategic reserves.

According to Bloomberg, Slovakia has approved the release of 250,000 tons of emergency crude oil reserves to supply its only oil refinery. This came after Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Ukraine of delaying Russian oil supplies via the key Druzhba transit pipeline.

Oil supplies via the pipeline through Ukrainian territory were suspended on January 27 due to a Russian attack. Slovakia and Hungary have asked Croatia to allow Russian oil to pass through its port and pipeline. Hungarian and Slovak refineries are already using Croatian infrastructure for alternative supplies. Croatia has said it can increase supplies, but the oil must not come from Russia.

Earlier, USM reported that Ukrainian drones had hit an oil terminal in a Russian port.