Orlen
Reuters reports this, citing five industry sources. According to the publication, ORLEN purchased several consignments of crude oil through spot tenders held on Friday and Monday. Traders specify that the company purchased the North Sea grades Grane, Johan Sverdrup and Johan Castberg. In addition, ORLEN held tenders for US WTI Midland and Kazakh CPC Blend.
Saudi oil accounts for around 40 per cent of ORLEN’s supplies
Saudi Aramco became ORLEN’s largest supplier of crude oil in 2022, after the Polish group began systematically reducing its dependence on Russian crude. Saudi oil now accounts for around 40 per cent of the crude processed by ORLEN.
As reported by Logos Press, the company also attempted to purchase oil from Venezuela, paying for it in cryptocurrency, but ended up losing $424 million.
ORLEN operates oil refineries in Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. According to Kpler, since the start of 2026, the Polish port of Gdańsk has been receiving around 160,000 barrels of Saudi oil per day, whilst the Lithuanian port of Butinge has been receiving around 63,000 barrels per day. Together, these volumes accounted for around 59 per cent of all Saudi oil imports into Europe.
Reuters also reports that at least four chartered tankers scheduled to transport oil from the Egyptian terminal of Sidi Kerir to Gdańsk in September did not set sail.
The disruptions are linked to a disruption in the operation of the Saudi East-West Pipeline, which was put out of action following an attack against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This has limited Saudi Arabia’s ability to supply oil to Europe via alternative routes.
ORLEN – a key player in the European market
The current search for alternatives is taking place against the backdrop of ORLEN’s ongoing diversification of its raw material base. In August, the company signed a three-year agreement with Norway’s Equinor for the supply of oil from the Johan Sverdrup field. The volume of supplies could exceed 9 million tonnes per year – up to a quarter of ORLEN’s annual crude oil requirements. The crude is intended for the group’s refineries in Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania.
Norwegian supplies are thus set to become one element of ORLEN’s long-term strategy to reduce its dependence on individual suppliers. However, the current situation shows that, to ensure the smooth operation of its refineries, the company must also make prompt use of the spot market.
ORLEN has stated that supplies of crude oil to the group’s refineries are currently continuing without disruption. A company spokesperson also noted that adjusting and optimising procurement volumes is a standard part of the group’s operations and depends on production requirements and changing market conditions.
For the European oil market, the situation has a broader context: disruptions to Saudi supplies are coinciding with heightened risks to oil transport in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, European refiners are being forced to compete more vigorously for alternative grades of crude, which may increase the cost of individual consignments and transport.
Against this backdrop, Reuters reports that the price of Brent crude has approached $108 per barrel, whilst spot prices in Europe have reached $122 per barrel.
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