A planned shipment of 58,000 tons of Arab Light crude oil, scheduled to arrive on 6 November under an existing contract between Croatian pipeline operator JANAF and Hungary’s MOL Group, has been delayed due to what Slovak refinery Slovnaft calls logistical failures by JANAF.
The disruption, according to Slovnaft, violates contractual obligations and threatens the stability of fuel exports from its refinery, which relies exclusively on non-Russian crude. The company criticized JANAF for a lack of transparency, noting that the Croatian operator has yet to share results from ongoing pipeline assessments or publish a maintenance and testing schedule—steps essential to restoring full operational capacity.
The delay comes at a sensitive time, with market instability in Serbia and a recent fire at Hungary’s Danube refinery already straining the region’s energy network. Slovnaft warns that JANAF’s failure to deliver crude on time endangers energy security across Central and Southeast Europe, underscoring the need for reliability and coordination among regional operators.
While expressing hope for a quick resolution, Slovnaft said it is considering legal action against JANAF for breach of contract, calling on all Central European energy companies to uphold their shared responsibility for supply resilience.
