Overview
- Russia, which stopped forwarding Kazakh crude through the Druzhba pipeline on Friday, has left the PCK refinery in Schwedt covering May with tank stocks and limited flows from Rostock at about 80% utilization.
- Kazakh barrels made up roughly 20% of Schwedt’s feed, and plant and labor leaders warn output could fall to about 65–70% in June, which is below the level they say keeps the site profitable near 80%.
- Berlin and refinery stakeholders are negotiating extra deliveries via the Polish port of Gdansk, and pipeline operator PERN says it can move up to two million tonnes more per year to Schwedt.
- Moscow cites “technical problems” for the cutoff, but German officials dispute that explanation, and Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil terminals such as Tuapse and Ust-Luga have damaged sea routes seen as alternatives.
- The Rostock–Schwedt link is already near capacity and any upgrade needs EU state‑aid approval, raising the risk of tighter fuel supply and higher local prices for drivers and for Berlin’s airport if June cuts take hold.