Transhipment at Naftoport 100 per cent upwards

The Polish crude oil logistics system passed the test related to the contaminated raw material, which was delivered to Poland via the “Friendship” pipeline in the second half of April this year.

Naftoport, a member of the PERN Group, which at that time was working at maximum turnover, confirmed its strategic importance. The company received twice as much crude oil from the sea as usual. In total, in the first half of 2019, the company received 8.3 million tonnes of crude oil, i.e. almost 30% more than in the same period of last year, which, in terms of the volume of transshipments, was so far a record in the history of Naftoport.

In the second half of April, the Polish transmission system received oil contaminated with organic chlorides, which is very dangerous for sensitive refinery systems.

On 24 April, PERN, at the request of its customers, stopped pumping via the Druzhba pipeline

Part-time pumping was not resumed until 9 June, i.e. after 46 days. During this time, PERN provided ongoing services to the refinery by transferring raw material from stocks and delivered by sea through Naftoport. Customers at service stations did not feel this situation.

– For several years, our refineries have been increasingly diversifying their portfolios in terms of sources of crude oil supplies. We have seen how necessary this is in recent months, when it was necessary to suddenly check the capabilities of the Polish transmission system and the potential of Naftoport. The test was successful because the customers at the stations did not experience any problems with deliveries of raw materials to Poland. We are on the right track when it comes to building energy independence in the area of oil and fuels – said Igor Wasilewski, President of PERN.

Record-high May in Naftoport

In May this year, Naftoport transshipped 2.2 million tonnes of crude oil, while in the preceding period, on average, approximately 1 million tonnes of this raw material were unloaded in the previous month. For 46 days of shutting down the Druzhba pipeline, Naftoport accepted 13 more tankers than in the same period a year earlier. In total, there were 51 of them.

In 2018, Naftoport transshipped almost 15 million tonnes of crude oil and fuel. At that time the company handled 314 tankers, of which one third were tankers with a capacity exceeding 80,000 tonnes.

PERN’s investment pillars in the raw material area

Taking into account the market trends and challenges facing the energy sector, as well as the government’s policy for the oil sector, PERN has launched a number of investment projects.

The company intends to build a second raw material pipeline from the Baltic Sea port to the centre of Poland. It will allow for deepening diversification and full quality separation of new types of crude oil for PERN’s customers. The company is in the process of expanding its crude oil storage tanks: there are 7 new tanks in the Gdańsk Oil Terminal and in the Gdańsk Depot. In total, the storage capacity for crude oil will increase by almost 600,000 m³, to the level of 4.1 million m³. Both the construction of new tanks for crude oil in the Gdańsk Base and in TNG has already started.

Rel (PERN SA)