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Janaf, a Croatian company, is ready to provide more crude oil to MOL refineries if Druzhba flow stops

Janaf's CEO said that Croatian pipeline operator Janaf can cover the needs of two refineries in Hungary and Slovakia of Hungarian oil company MOL, which currently rely on Russian oil via the Druzhba pipe to meet their requirements.

MOL warned of possible fuel shortages last month in Central Europe after Ukrainian attacks on Druzhba, which caused a temporary suspension there.

MOL, who signed a February contract with Janaf for the delivery of 2.1 millions tons of oil to the end of 2025 has expressed doubts that the Adriatic Pipeline could provide enough oil even if Druzhba shipments were stopped completely. MOL has two refineries with a total capacity of 14.2 million tons. Most of the crude oil they use comes from Druzhba.

Stjepan Adanic said that the chairman of the Janaf management board, Stjepan Adanic replied to questions by email: "Janaf is able to meet the crude oil requirements of MOL Group Refineries (...),".

He said that the pipeline was in good condition, and it could provide a stable supply. It would also be able to increase the quantity if the Druzhba Pipeline were to cease.

Adanic stated that the pipeline system capacity of Janaf has been tested repeatedly, most recently in June last year with MOL.

He said that the test showed the pipeline could carry 11.8 million tons per year of crude oil. This capacity can be increased by adding polymers to reduce friction.

Adanic said that Janaf would be able to increase the transport volume for MOL immediately if needed.

MOL is under increasing pressure from the European Union to diversify its supplies. However, the group said that both the Druzhba pipeline and the Adriatic were vital for the refineries, and Janaf transit fees made the Adriatic route prohibitively expensive.

Adanic responded that Janaf offers a range of services, including shipping, unloading and transshipment as well as technological storage and handling in terminals, which other competitors don't offer.

He said that the oil transport industry does not have benchmarks, and there are no comparable pipelines anywhere in the world. Reporting by Marek Stzelecki, Krisztina Thán and Tomasz Jánowski.

(source: Reuters)