Kazakhstan Sends First Oil Shipment to Hungary via Croatia, Bypassing Druzhba Pipeline

Kazakhstan’s national oil company, KazMunayGas (KMG), has delivered its first shipment of crude oil to Hungary through Croatia — avoiding the Russian-controlled Druzhba pipeline, Orda.kz reports.

The shipment was made in partnership with Hungary’s MOL Group.

According to KMG, the 85,000-tonne batch of crude is destined for MOL’s Százhalombatta refinery. The cargo was shipped by sea from the port of Novorossiysk to Croatia’s Omišalj terminal, with transportation handled by Kazmortransflot. From there, it will be pumped through the Adriatic pipeline operated by Croatia’s JANAF.

Upon the tanker’s arrival in Croatia, representatives of KMG, MOL Group, and JANAF held a meeting to discuss further mutually beneficial cooperation. Following the talks, KMG and MOL Group signed a framework agreement on future oil deliveries. This significantly expands the geography of KMG’s oil exports to EU markets, the company said in a statement.

KazMunayGas and MOL Group are already partners in the development of the Rozhkovskoye gas condensate field in western Kazakhstan.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny