Kazakhstan expands EU reach with oil delivery to Hungary

Kazakhstan has diversified energy export routes by delivering its first shipment of crude oil—totaling 85,000 tons—to Hungary, as part of a deepening strategic partnership with Budapest-based energy conglomerate MOL Group.

The development underscores Astana’s growing ambition to secure long-term energy ties with European Union markets amid shifting geopolitical dynamics and regional energy realignments, Caliber.Az reports, citing the press service of KazMunayGas.

The seaborne leg of the delivery was conducted by Kazmortransflot, the national maritime carrier and a subsidiary of KazMunayGas, which transported the cargo from the Russian port of Novorossiysk to the Croatian port of Omisalj aboard the KazMunayGas-operated tanker Alatau. From there, the oil is being routed to its final destination—Hungary’s Százhalombatta refinery—via the Adriatic pipeline (JANAF), which is operated by Croatian state-owned company Jadranski Naftovod.

Upon arrival at Omisalj, representatives from KazMunayGas, MOL Group, and JANAF convened to review logistical outcomes and explore long-term cooperation frameworks. The trilateral discussions culminated in the signing of a Framework Agreement between KazMunayGas and MOL Group, paving the way for expanded future deliveries of Kazakh crude to Central and Eastern Europe. 

“This move significantly enhances Kazakhstan’s ability to diversify its export routes and deepen energy integration with European partners,” the KazMunayGas statement noted, positioning the initiative as a critical step toward strengthening Kazakhstan’s role as a reliable energy supplier in the region.

The deal also illustrates growing momentum behind Kazakhstan’s push to reduce reliance on traditional transit corridors by leveraging southern and western export infrastructures, including the Trans-Caspian and Adriatic corridors.

By Vafa Guliyeva