Russia’s pipeline operator Transneft has cut crude intake into its system by roughly 250,000 barrels per day after damage at the Kaleykino pumping station in Tatarstan, according to Reuters sources.
Kaleykino is a key blending and dispatch hub that can pump about 1 million bpd and feeds crude into the Druzhba pipeline network as well as export routes to Primorsk on the Baltic and Novorossiisk on the Black Sea. It is also where different crude streams are mixed into the Urals export grade.
The Druzhba system alone has capacity of about 1.4 million bpd across its northern and southern branches, making it one of Russia’s most important westbound export arteries. With southern flows already halted, additional throughput limits at Kaleykino further tighten the margin for redirecting barrels.
A 250,000 bpd intake cut does not automatically translate into a 250,000 bpd export loss. But it does mean the system is running below capacity. When a hub like Kaleykino slows, upstream producers either reduce flows or send crude into storage. One source said shipments from Tatneft were among those most affected.
The disruption comes on top of existing problems along the Druzhba route. Southern flows to Hungary and Slovakia have been suspended since late January following earlier infrastructure damage and a dispute over repairs. Those barrels would normally move west by pipe. If they cannot, they have to be redirected toward ports — assuming there is spare capacity.
The UK has also sanctioned Transneft this week along with dozens of tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. Transneft handles more than 80% of the country’s oil exports.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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