Last week, MOL and Janaf conducted several joint tests on the Adria crude oil pipeline, but the latest results do not yet confirm that the pipeline would be capable of delivering sufficient volumes of crude oil for Hungary and Slovakia from the Adriatic Sea in the long term. During the tests, the pipeline was never able to operate with sufficient capacity for more than 1 - 2 hours.
Before the test, the parties agreed to gradually increase pressure and the number of pumps during transportation, this way reaching the maximum transport capacity and maintaining it throughout the entire duration of the test. The goal was to jointly assess whether the system is capable of operating stably at maximum capacity for a longer period of time. However, just before the test, the Croatian partner informed us that they could maintain the maximum performance for only one hour, after which they would need to reduce the pressure. This significantly deviated from the previously agreed plan and makes it difficult to objectively evaluate the test results. Afterwards, barely 30 minutes after the start of the test, the Croatian partner company halted transportation citing a power supply failure, and the system was down for more than an hour.
There were disruptions even after restarting, as pressure drop also occurred during transportation on the Croatian side, and the Croatian partner requested MOL to reduce pipeline pressure, after which the Croatian section of the pipeline could operate at low pressure and performance.
MOL and Janaf have long been examining the capacity of the Croatian section of the pipeline. Previously, the parties conducted several smaller tests, and this September, a comprehensive, several months long testing period began, involving the transport of large volumes. During this, the companies aimed to determine how much crude oil the southern pipeline is capable of transporting stably and over the long term.
We emphasise that the Adria pipeline plays a very important role in supplying Central Europe. However, in order for it to take on a greater role than its current supporting function, it is first necessary to clearly see what the Croatian section of the Adria pipeline is capable of and what condition it is in, as well as what is needed for it to be able to transport up to 40 000 tpd of crude oil, every day of the year.
The importance of the pipeline is also underlined by the fact that before the outbreak of the war, we spent US$170 million on developing the alternative, southern infrastructure and reducing the unilateral dependence on the eastern route. Since 2022, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars more in crude oil diversification, but the transition is not only a matter of refinery technology: it is necessary to clearly see the condition of the Adria pipeline and what it is capable of. For the southern supply route to be fully functional, the Croatian section must also reach a crude oil transport capacity of 40 000 tpd or 14 million tpy. This volume is necessary to ensure the region’s security; even considering refinery maintenance work and strategic crude oil stock exchanges of the affected countries. The company maintains its position: two commercially competitive and technically fully-fledged pipelines are needed that are capable of reliably delivering the volumes required to supply the region.
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World Pipelines’ September 2025 issue
In the September 2025 issue of World Pipelines we publish articles on: offshore pipelines (materials, safety, and hydrotesting); inspection for repurposed pipelines carrying hydrogen; the future of pipeline integrity; and pipelines in North America (US steels, PHMSA compliance, and buoyancy control in hazard-prone areas).