Russian oil flows to Czech Republic will resume on Friday -pipeline operator

Russian oil flows to the Czech Republic will resume through the Druzhba pipeline after more than a week on Friday evening, Slovak pipeline operator Transpetrol said, as transit fee payments were unblocked.

Russian oil flows to the Czech Republic will resume through the Druzhba pipeline after more than a week on Friday evening, Slovak pipeline operator Transpetrol said, as transit fee payments were unblocked. Supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia since Aug. 4 because Western sanctions prevented paying transit fees to Ukrainian transit company Ukrtransnafta, Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft said on Tuesday.

A European bank has agreed to process the payment for the transit of Russian oil through Ukraine, removing the cause of the stoppage. "Tonight (Friday) at 2000 GMT, oil flow to the Czech Republic will be resumed," a spokesperson for Transpetrol said.

Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela also said that the oil will start flowing again. The Czech Republic covers roughly half of its oil consumption from Russia. "We have found a way to unblock the transit fee payment for oil deliveries and its shipment through the Druzhba will resume soon," Sikela said on Twitter.

"The disruption did not affect the functioning of Czech refineries or the fuel market," he added. Flows to Hungary and Slovakia were restarted on Wednesday after Hungary's refiner MOL and its Slovak unit Slovnaft found a workaround by paying the fee to Ukrtransnafta themselves, but supplies to the Czech Republic have not resumed.

Central European countries are partially dependent on Russian oil and largely dependent on Russian gas, and have secured exemptions from the European Union's incoming ban on imports of Russian oil until they adjust their shipping routes and refineries so that they can take other oil.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)