Serbia’s caretaker government has authorized the oil company NIS to use up to 66,000 tonnes of crude oil from the state reserves. The decision aims to ensure the operation of the Pančevo refinery and uninterrupted supplies to the Serbian market following the disruption of deliveries via the Croatian JANAF oil pipeline.
The measure was introduced after the regular transport of crude oil to NIS was suspended due to damage to the pipeline. The Serbian government was informed of the problem, and the company requested access to the state reserves to prevent the refinery’s operations from being interrupted.
Accident disrupts deliveries to Pančevo
JANAF halted the transport of oil to the Pančevo refinery following an accident on the section between Sisak and Slavonski Brod. The damage occurred on November 6 during repair work carried out by an external contractor.
According to the Croatian operator, around 500,000 liters of oil leaked from the pipeline. JANAF said that all of the leaked oil had been collected and that work to deal with the consequences of the accident was continuing.
The Serbian government says there is currently no alternative route for delivering crude oil to the Pančevo refinery. Without supplies via JANAF, the facility cannot operate, the decision states.
NIS assures that petrol stations are supplied
NIS said it was closely monitoring the situation following the disruption of deliveries. The company said that “for the time being, all petrol stations in Serbia have sufficient quantities of all types of petroleum products” and that it has sufficient quantities of petroleum derivatives.
The authorized volume from the state reserves is up to 66,000 tonnes, while the decision does not specify the period for which the oil will be used, nor when regular deliveries via JANAF are expected to resume. The measure is aimed at preventing fuel shortages and maintaining the operation of the Pančevo refinery while repair work on the pipeline continues.
Sources: bta.bg, rts.rs