A shipment of South American crude oil has reached the PCK refinery in Schwedt, Germany, via the Polish port of Gdańsk. The delivery is meant to compensate for the missing Kazakh crude, the transit of which Russia halted in May by blocking the Druzhba pipeline. Polish infrastructure and logistics firms made the alternative supply route possible.
The delivery was confirmed by Unimot Paliwa, the Polish fuel distributor that coordinated the transport. According to the company´s vice president, Robert Brzozowski, Poland´s maritime and transport infrastructure is now directly contributing to the energy security of both Poland and Germany. The exact volume of oil delivered has not been disclosed, but a spokesman for Rosneft Deutschland confirmed the shipment arrived and that the refinery is now operating at around 80 percent of its maximum capacity.
A lifeline for Schwedt refinery
The PCK refinery in Schwedt, Brandenburg, has been under severe supply pressure since May, when Russia stopped the flow of Kazakh crude through the Druzhba pipeline. According to the Berliner Zeitung, that Kazakh oil accounted for roughly one fifth of the feedstock processed at Schwedt. The alternative route via Gdańsk, using the Naftoport terminal and PERN pipeline infrastructure, has provided a temporary solution.
Brandenburg´s state premier, Dietmar Woidke, called the delivery “good news” and stressed that all parties involved are taking steps to secure the long-term operation of the facility and fuel supplies for eastern Germany.
Polish infrastructure steps in
PERN, the Polish oil pipeline operator, confirmed in a statement that it is handling the transport of crude delivered by sea to Gdańsk for the Schwedt refinery. The company uses its own pipeline network to move the oil onward. This is not the first time Poland has acted as a transit hub for non-Russian crude destined for Germany since the EU embargo on Russian oil took effect in early 2023.
The Schwedt refinery, which employs around 1,200 people, supplies fuel to parts of Berlin, Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It also produces roughly 2 million tons of fuel annually for western Poland. Since the embargo, no Russian crude has been processed at the plant.
Woidke added that the successful delivery proves the alternative supply chain is viable and can help stabilize the region´s fuel market. – This shows that we are not dependent on a single route or supplier – he said.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. PAP/EPA/CLEMENS BILAN
