Oil supply to Hungary, Slovakia halted by Kazakhstan
|
February 9, 2010, 5:28 pm
|
http://portfolio.hu/en/cikkek.tdp?k=2&i=19473
Kazakhstan has halted Urals crude oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary via the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline amid a trade dispute with Ukraine, prompting Russian oil firm Lukoil to intervene to compensate for the loss, Reuters cited traders as saying on Tuesday.
Lukoil will re-route some 300,000 tonnes of Russian export blend Urals scheduled for loading from the Polish port of Gdansk URL-NWE-E in February to Slovakia and Hungary.
"Kazakhstan has asked (Russia's pipeline monopoly) Transneft to re-route its supplies (planned for Hungary and Slovakia) to other destinations," Reuters cited an industry source with direct knowledge of the situation as saying.
Sources also said the development followed a move by Ukraine to scrap a crude transit deal with Kazakhstan for 2010 in retaliation for Kazakhstan suspending crude deliveries via Ukraine's Odessa Black Sea port last year.
