Germany's Schwedt refinery receives South American oil via Poland

The PCK refinery in the Eastern German town of Schwedt is receiving a consignment of oil from South America via Poland. 

The Polish fuel trader Unimot Paliwa announced the delivery of the oil on Monday. 

It is intended to compensate for the shortfall in oil from Kazakhstan, as Russia has halted deliveries to Germany through the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline since May.

Poland's maritime and transport infrastructure is helping to ensure security of supply for both Germany and Poland, said Unimot Vice-President Robert Brzozowski in a statement. 

PCK not only supplies the greater Berlin area with oil products, it also exports 2 million tonnes of fuel annually to western Poland.

Previously reliant on Russian crude oil delivered via the Druzhba pipeline, the German refinery has had to adapt its supply chains following EU sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.  

The PCK refinery is nominally majority-owned by the Russian oil giant Rosneft, which holds a stake of more than 90%. After the start of the Ukraine war, the German government placed Rosneft's German subsidiary under a federally controlled trust.  

A spokesman for PCK's owner, Rosneft Deutschland, confirmed the delivery via Poland. No exact quantity was given, but it was said to involve the contents of one tanker. 

The shipment is helping the refinery to maintain stable operations at 80% capacity, it was stated.