Poland imports first Kuwaiti diesel cargo

Poland is poised to receive its first diesel cargo from Kuwait as it steps up efforts to replace Russian imports following the EU's oil product ban.

The Bahri Jasmine is due to discharge approximately 17,700t of Kuwaiti diesel at the port of Gdynia on 10 March, having already unloaded 28,400t in Rotterdam on route to Poland, according to oil analytics firm Vortexa. It is the first Kuwaiti diesel shipment to Poland in Vortexa's records stretching back to 2016.

The diesel shipment to Gdynia is intended for BP, market participants said. The cargo loaded from Kuwait's 346,000 b/d Mina al-Ahmadi refinery.

Poland has been increasing diesel imports from east of Suez since the EU's embargo on Russian products came into effect on 5 February. The Alkea discharged 33,500t of Saudi Arabian diesel at the Polish port of Swinoujscie on 5 March.

Seaborne diesel deliveries to Poland have fallen since the EU embargo, dropping to 11,100 t/d last month from 14,460 t/d in January.

By Ivan Kudinov