CONTAMINATED OIL FROM AZERBAIJAN ARRIVES IN EUROPE EUROPE (BP, ENI, Orlen)

According to a Bloomberg report, British Petroleum (BP) and Italy's Eni SpA have accused Azerbaijan of selling contaminated oil.

"BP Plc said it is aware of potential contamination issues with some oil shipments from Azerbaijan," the publication states.

It is also reported that Italy's Eni SpA has announced the purchase of a batch of contaminated oil, some of which has already entered its refining system.

According to the publication, some batches contained particles of organic chlorides, which can damage equipment during processing.

Following BP and EN, the Czech Republic has also received 60,000 cubic meters of contaminated oil from Azerbaijan, in which the organic chlorine content exceeds permitted limits, the CNA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Mero pipeline operator, the State Administration of Materials Reserves, and the owner of both Czech refineries, Orlen Unipetrol.

"In recent days, contaminated oil has been delivered from Azerbaijan to the Czech Republic via the Transalpine TAL pipeline. The organic chlorine content has exceeded permitted limits. However, the operation of both Czech refineries, the condition of the pipeline, and domestic market supplies are not at risk. The contaminated oil, approximately 60,000 cubic meters in volume, will now be stored at the refinery and then gradually mixed with uncontaminated oil. The 60,000 cubic meter volume is usually sufficient for several days of refinery operation," the statement reads.

According to Orlen Unipetrol spokesperson Pavel Kajdl, the contaminated oil will be stored at the central storage facility in Nelahozeves, near Prague, and in tanks at the Kralupy nad Vltavou refinery.

"Further investigations into the incident are ongoing," Kajdl said.

Currently, oil is supplied to the Czech Republic only via the western route, namely the Italian TAL pipeline and the connected IKL pipeline. Until early March 2025, oil was also supplied to the Czech Republic from Russia via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline.