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Japan's Inpex provided oil to Germany from Kashagan, sources say

Japan's Inpex for the first time last month provided crude oil from its share in the huge Kashagan oil field in Kazakhstan to a German refinery via Russia's Druzhba pipeline, 3 sources familiar with the shipment and export data told on Thursday.

It was a trial supply of oil from Kashagan in April, no supplies (are) planned in May, among the sources knowledgeable about the strategies said.

The shipment - to the Schwedt refinery - demonstrates how Kazakhstan is establishing oil exports via the Druzhba pipeline, which connects Russian oil fields to Europe and which otherwise would be empty due to the European Union embargo on Russian crude.

Kazakhstan doesn't have a direct access to worldwide sea paths and the lion's share of its oil exports go through Russian area. Druzhba's northern leg crosses Belarus and goes to Poland and Germany.

Kazakhstan has been providing oil to Germany given that 2023 via Druzhba as the EU embargo doesn't forbid the purchase of non-Russian oil provided by means of Russian pipelines. But up to now this has primarily been done by Kazakhstan oil producer Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO), in which Eni and Shell are the largest shareholders.

Another source included that the Inpex delivery went well and more materials from Kashagan to Germany are being considered this year by the Japanese company and other investors, however the counterparts require to agree on the information of such materials.

Inpex declined to comment on the matter due to confidentiality commitments.

Kashagan's operator, the North Caspian Operating Business ( NCOC), and the Kazakh Energy Ministry did not instantly respond to an ask for comment.

NCOC is a consortium that includes Shell, Eni, TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil Corp, along with Inpex, Kazmunaigaz and China Petroleum Oil Corp.

. NCOC shareholders have been searching for additional export routes as alternatives to Kazakhstan's primary export outlet - the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) - after several interruptions of exports via the pipeline in 2022.

Kazakhstan's oil materials to Germany have actually just recently been challenged by a technical concern between Russia's Transneft pipeline operator and Poland's PERN, putting shipments at danger, but the matter has been solved.

(source: Reuters)