According to German media reports, the suspension of pipeline supplies of Russian crude oil will affect the major refineries in the German states of Schwert, Brandenburg, Leuna, and Saxony-Anhalt, which have been processing crude oil for decades. Russian crude oil imported by the “Friendship” oil pipeline supplies fuel to Eastern Germany.
Among them, Schwerte owns the fourth largest oil refinery in Germany, supplying 90% of Berlin’s fuel. In this regard, a spokesman for the German Economy Ministry said that they were ready to ensure that the refinery in Schwert could continue to produce “at a good level of capacity utilization”. In December last year, Germany and Poland reached an agreement in which Poland pledged to provide enough crude oil supplies for the Schwert refinery to reach 70% of its capacity from January this year.
The “Friendship” oil pipeline is a large-scale oil pipeline system that transports crude oil from Russia to Central and Eastern Europe. It is also the longest oil pipeline in the world and is managed by the Russian oil pipeline transportation company.
From December 5, 2022, the EU’s embargo on Russian seaborne oil will take effect, but Russian oil supplied through pipelines is not included in the restrictions. In December 2022, Germany announced that it would stop importing Russian crude oil from the “Friendship” oil pipeline. In this regard, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak said that once the impact of the EU’s embargo on Russian crude oil and products is fully manifested, Europe will find it difficult to find substitutes for Russian crude oil and product supplies