Copyright tass
BELGRADE, October 29. /TASS/. Croatian Adriatic Pipeline operator JANAF has denied claims by Slovakian company Slovnaft about delayed crude deliveries to its Bratislava refinery. According to JANAF's press service, crude transfers are allegedly "carried out in strict accordance with the schedule and terms of the agreement." Earlier Slovnaft, which is owned by Hungarian energy company MOL, reported that JANAF had delayed the delivery of 90,000 tons of oil due to the need to maintain this volume in the pipeline for technological purposes. This delay occurred after crude deliveries to NIS (Neftna Industrija Srbije), a Serbian company subject to US sanctions, were stopped. The Croatian operator has called on MOL to increase the use of its leased pipeline capacity. According to JANAF, the capacity which is currently used by the Hungarian company is "significantly below the contractual level." Prior to this, the Slovnaft refinery officially notified the Croatian company of the breach of the terms of the current contract. Slovnaft representative Anton Molnar informed the TASR news agency that the issue concerns Arab Light, an alternative crude oil. The refinery needs it to meet the needs of foreign customers, as the European Union has banned the export of petroleum products made from Russian crude. In October and November, the Slovnaft refinery planned to process up to 50% of its non-Russian alternative crude. Petroleum products from Bratislava, primarily motor fuel, are supplied to the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, and other Central European countries.
