The link will connect OMV's main refinery in Schwechat, near Vienna, with the existing Druzhba pipeline from southeast Russia, according to Gerhard Roiss, OMV's head of refining and marketing, who will take over the role of CEO in 2011. Transpetrol, Slovakia's state-run pipeline company, will help to build the 50-kilometer link.
"You have thousands of kilometers of the Druzhba pipeline system and then there's a piece missing that you can hardly see on a map," Roiss, 57, said in a May 26 interview at the company's headquarters in Vienna. The pipeline will "be very important for the security of supply for both countries," as it will allow crude to be pumped in both directions, he said.
Since 2003, OMV has been trying to close the gap in its pipeline system to diversify supplies and gain better access to Russian crude. It currently relies on shipments through the Italian port of Trieste, resulting in high transportation costs that curb profit margins.
Druzhba, the world's longest oil pipeline, was built to supply former communist countries with oil from Russia. It carries oil from eastern Russia to countries such as Slovakia and Ukraine.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.