Slovakia’s Slovnaft refinery, part of Hungary’s MOL Group, has accused Croatian state-owned pipeline operator JANAF of restricting deliveries of non-Russian crude oil, citing what it called technical limitations. The refinery claims that this move jeopardizes ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on Russian oil. JANAF, however, rejected the accusations, insisting that it has fully met all contractual obligations.
Slovnaft, which mainly refines Russian crude under an EU sanctions exemption that allows continued exports of petroleum products, has been attempting to diversify its supply sources. The company aimed to increase the share of non-Russian oil to around 50 percent during October and November. However, those plans were disrupted after Slovnaft reportedly lost access to 90,000 tons of Arab Light crude, which was scheduled for delivery through the JANAF pipeline. According to Slovnaft representatives, JANAF attributed the disruption to operational changes made after halting shipments to Serbian company NIS, which was recently sanctioned by the United States. JANAF confirmed that it had completed the transfer of all remaining NIS-owned oil from its system following the sanctions.
Slovnaft said the lost volumes are difficult to replace, leading to production delays and reduced availability of non-Russian fuels across Central Europe. The company has formally notified JANAF that it views the suspension as a breach of contract. In response, JANAF maintained that all crude oil transportation is proceeding as planned and in accordance with existing agreements. The Croatian operator dismissed Slovnaft’s claims as baseless, urging MOL Group to make better use of its reserved pipeline capacity, which JANAF says remains underutilized.
JANAF continues to play a crucial role as an alternative supply route for both Slovakia and Hungary, which have long depended on Russian crude delivered through the Druzhba pipeline. Officials from both countries have previously expressed concerns about the costs and throughput limitations of the Adriatic route.
Under current arrangements, JANAF is expected to transport about 2.1 million metric tons of crude oil to MOL refineries this year. In 2024, Slovnaft processed a total of 4.8 million tons of oil, including 662,000 tons from non-Russian sources. Both Slovakia and Hungary — often at odds with Brussels over their approach to the war in Ukraine — are also dealing with the effects of U.S. sanctions targeting Russian energy companies such as Lukoil and Rosneft. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently said that Budapest is exploring ways to circumvent these restrictions and is expected to discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming week.
