Kazakhstan delivered 730,000 tons of oil to Germany via the "Friendship" pipeline within three months

¬ Global average oil prices hit a new high since July 2022

ASTANA, May 14 (TASS) — Kazakhstan's national oil pipeline operator (KazTransOil) has announced the total volume of Kazakh oil delivered to Germany via the "Friendship" pipeline.

It is known that due to Russian restrictions, the oil transportation route through the "Friendship" pipeline was suspended as of May 1. This led to a disruption in oil supply to Germany's Schwedt refinery (PCK refinery).

The operator disclosed the amount of oil delivered to Germany during January–March 2026 when responding to a question from TASS reporters.

"In the first quarter of 2026, Kazakhstan’s oil supply to Germany reached 730,000 tons, an increase of 353,000 tons compared to the same period in 2025," said Nurzhan Khuszhanov, Deputy General Director for Production at the National Oil Pipeline Company.

Data shows that Kazakhstan supplied 2.146 million tons of oil to Germany in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan stated it has not received any official information from Russia regarding suspension or changes to the transport route for Kazakh oil.

"Currently, there has been no official notification from Russia about restrictions on transporting Kazakh oil via the Atyrau-Samara-Druzhba pipeline. However, unofficial sources indicate that due to limited technical capacity, this pipeline has been unable to transport oil since May 1 this year," the Ministry told TASS reporters.

The Ministry of Energy added that oil exports would resume once the technical restrictions are lifted.

It should be noted that Kazakhstan exports approximately 3 million tons of its total 80 million tons of crude oil annually through the "Friendship" pipeline system. Kazakh crude is transported via the northern branch of the pipeline through Russia and Poland.

Kazakh oil accounts for about 20–30% of the Schwedt refinery’s demand.

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Sputnik News analysis of World Bank data reveals that global average oil prices have reached their highest level since July 2022 due to escalating conflicts in the Middle East.

The near closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused by the escalation of Middle Eastern conflicts has disrupted crude oil supplies, thereby driving up global energy prices.

The global average oil price in April stood at $103.91 per barrel, a 36.5% increase from $65.91 per barrel in the same month last year, marking the highest level since July 2022 ($105.08 per barrel).

At the same time, the average Brent crude oil price in April reached $120.42 per barrel, up about 44% from $67.75 per barrel a year earlier, also the highest level since July 2022 ($120.08 per barrel).

Traders estimate that the risk of depleting oil reserves is increasing, with close attention being paid to developments in talks between the United States and Iran.

Rebecca Babineau, Senior Energy Trader at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Private Wealth Management, told Western media: "As time passes, the balance of oil supply deteriorates further, and the risk of a sharp spike in oil prices grows as reserves continue to dwindle."

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864299002212809/

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