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Japan's Inpex provided oil to Germany from Kashagan, sources state

Japan's Inpex for the first time last month provided petroleum from its share in the giant Kashagan oil field in Kazakhstan to a German refinery via Russia's Druzhba pipeline, three sources knowledgeable about the shipment and export data told on Thursday.

It was a trial supply of oil from Kashagan in April, no products (are) prepared in May, among the sources knowledgeable about the plans said.

The delivery - to the Schwedt refinery - demonstrates how Kazakhstan is developing oil exports by means of the Druzhba pipeline, which links Russian oil fields to Europe and which otherwise would be empty due to the European Union embargo on Russian crude.

Kazakhstan doesn't have a direct access to worldwide sea routes and the lion's share of its oil exports pass through Russian territory. Druzhba's northern leg crosses Belarus and goes to Poland and Germany.

Kazakhstan has been providing oil to Germany given that 2023 via Druzhba as the EU embargo does not prohibit the purchase of non-Russian oil supplied via Russian pipelines. However already this has actually mainly been done by Kazakhstan oil manufacturer Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO), in which Eni and Shell are the largest investors.

Another source included that the Inpex delivery worked out and more materials from Kashagan to Germany are being considered this year by the Japanese business and other shareholders, but the counterparts require to agree on the details of such products.

Inpex declined to talk about the matter due to confidentiality obligations.

Kashagan's operator, the North Caspian Operating Business ( NCOC), and the Kazakh Energy Ministry did not immediately react to an ask for comment.

NCOC is a consortium that includes Shell, Eni, TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil Corp, along with Inpex, Kazmunaigaz and China Petroleum Oil Corp.

. NCOC investors have actually been looking for additional export paths as alternatives to Kazakhstan's main export outlet - the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) - after multiple blockages of exports via the pipeline in 2022.

Kazakhstan's oil products to Germany have actually just recently been challenged by a technical issue in between Russia's Transneft pipeline operator and Poland's PERN, putting deliveries at threat, but the matter has actually been solved.

(source: Reuters)