Pipeline operators PERN (Poland) and Transneft (Russia) have agreed to ensure the continued transit of Kazakh oil to Germany, reported Reuters.
The Druzhba pipeline runs through Russia to the Belarusian city of Mozyr, after which it splits northwards in the direction of Poland and Germany, and southwards, to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia.
The northern pipeline has the capacity to carry two million barrels of oil per day from Kazakhstan into Poland.
Back in April, Transneft warned Kazakhstan that the transit of its oil to Germany could cease as a result of the situation concerning the certification of oil flow meters in Poland.
The devices must be periodically certified for compliance with Russian standards and the verification of oil flow meters on the Polish section of the Druzhba pipeline must be completed by June 5.
To address the issue , the Polish pipeline operator PERN, Russian state-owned Transneft, and German refiner PCK Schwedt, which receives supplies from Kazakhstan, have agreed that the German company will maintain oil flow meters on the Polish section of the Druzhba pipeline.
The work required to maintain metering on the Polish section and in turn, remove the risks imposed by PERN’s sanctions, are to be undertaken by an unnamed Slovak company.
