200,000 tonnes of fuel to be delivered to Ukraine via Poland
Poland and Ukraine are working on arranging new ways to transport petroleum products to Ukraine and thus decrease fuel shortages caused by the Russian invasion. This was reported by the Reuters agency, citing high-ranking representatives of the governments of both countries after the meeting, which took place on 17 May.
“Poland can act as the main carrier of fuels to Ukraine, ensuring the supply of more than 200,000 tonnes of products per month,” said Yuliia Svrydenko, the first deputy prime minister of Ukraine and the minister of economy of Ukraine.
She added that Ukraine imported only 60,000 tonnes of oil and petrol in April. Ukraine has been struggling with large shortages of liquid fuels due to the Russian attacks on its transmission and storage infrastructure, especially on the facilities of the main fuel producer, the refinery in Kremenchuk. Transport bottlenecks and the loss of supplies from Russia and Belarus have made the situation worse. Ukraine consumed 2.4 million tonnes of petrol and 8 million tonnes of diesel fuel in 2021. Before the war, it imported 80 per cent of petroleum products, of which 62 per cent of petrol and 44 per cent of diesel fuel came from Russia and Belarus.
“We expect to be able to import crude oil products from the United States, from the ARA port region (Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp) and products from German, Scandinavian and Baltic refineries. Fuel will be delivered by combined modes of transport via Poland,” said Yuliia Svrydenko.
“Poland imports almost all of its crude oil and many finished petrochemical products that it needs, so it is well prepared to act as an intermediary,” said Jacek Sasin, the deputy prime minister and minister of state assets of Poland.
According to Reuters, Polish officials said that some logistical issues need to be worked out, especially regarding rail transport, as both countries use different gauges of rails. Nevertheless, Warsaw is ready to work on increasing shipments. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, has committed to taking steps by mid-May to end the fuel shortage that caused the closure of around half of the country’s 7,000 filling stations and created long lines for them.
The possibility of using Polish seaports, airports and intermodal terminals to handle the export of Ukrainian products will be one of the issues discussed during the Poland-Ukraine Business Meeting, which will be held on 26-27 May in Gdańsk.
The Poland-Ukraine Business Meeting will take place on 26-27 May in Gdańsk. To get more information about the event or register for it, please visit the dedicated websites:
https://intermodalinpoland.eu/gdansk-2022/(in Polish)
https://intermodalinpoland.eu/gdansk-2022-2/(in Ukrainian)
or write to the organisers on e-mail: biuro@intermodalinpoland.eu