ORLEN Buys 16 Extra Crude Cargoes as Saudi Supply Tightens

Poland’s ORLEN has secured 16 additional crude oil cargoes for its refineries in Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic as disruptions to Saudi supplies force the company to draw on a wider network of suppliers.

By Carolina Curiel
Published September 17, 2026

ORLEN Moves Quickly to Replace Saudi Crude

MONTREAL (Oil Monster): Poland’s ORLEN has purchased 16 additional crude oil cargoes as the refiner works to replace Saudi supplies disrupted by attacks on key Middle East oil infrastructure.

The cargoes are intended for ORLEN Group refineries in Poland, Lithuania and the Czech Republic. The company said the additional crude has been contracted from Norway, Great Britain, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Americas.

ORLEN did not disclose the price paid for the barrels.

Saudi Disruption Hits One of ORLEN’s Largest Supply Sources

The extra buying comes at a sensitive time for ORLEN. Saudi Aramco has been the company’s largest crude supplier since 2022 and accounts for roughly 40% of its oil volumes.

Aramco has informed European customers that some late-September cargoes will be cancelled after Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline was knocked offline on September 10.

The pipeline carries crude from Saudi Arabia’s eastern producing region to the Red Sea, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Its shutdown has disrupted loadings from Yanbu and tightened the availability of Saudi barrels for European buyers.

16 Cargoes Could Represent About 11.2 Million Barrels

ORLEN typically imports crude in cargoes of approximately 700,000 barrels, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters.

If all 16 replacement shipments are close to that typical size, the additional purchases would amount to roughly 11.2 million barrels.

Reuters estimated that the cargoes could be worth close to $1.5 billion based on physical crude prices near $130 per barrel at the time of the purchases.

That figure is an estimate rather than ORLEN’s disclosed purchase cost. Reuters said it could not confirm the payment structure or the price differentials ORLEN paid relative to dated Brent.

Why Physical Crude Prices Matter

The roughly $130-per-barrel figure refers to the physical crude market, where buyers compete for specific cargoes available for near-term delivery. It should not be confused with the headline Brent futures price.

European physical crude prices had risen sharply as buyers searched for alternatives to disrupted Middle East supplies. North Sea Forties crude, one of the grades available to European refiners, reached $136.75 per barrel on September 15.

The tight physical market helps explain why securing replacement cargoes quickly has become more expensive even when benchmark futures trade at lower levels.

ORLEN Is Still Looking for More Crude

The 16 cargoes may not mark the end of ORLEN’s buying.

The company issued two additional tenders on Wednesday, according to physical oil traders cited by Reuters. One sought North Sea crude grades, while the other targeted barrels from Brazil or Guyana.

Market sources said the purchases are intended to cover refinery requirements through September and October while the timing of a full restart of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline remains uncertain.

Equinor Deal Provides a Longer-Term Supply Buffer

ORLEN entered the Saudi disruption with another major supply agreement already taking effect.

In August, the company signed a three-year crude supply contract with Norway’s Equinor. Deliveries began in September and can range from nearly 5 million tonnes to more than 9 million tonnes per year, depending on ORLEN’s needs.

At the upper end, the contract could cover up to 25% of the ORLEN Group’s annual crude requirement.

Johan Sverdrup crude from the Norwegian Continental Shelf will form the core of those deliveries, although the agreement also allows other Norwegian grades to be supplied.

Supply Diversification Has Become Central to ORLEN’s Strategy

The latest purchases continue a broader change in ORLEN’s crude sourcing.

Russian oil accounted for most of the company’s crude intake about a decade ago. ORLEN has since eliminated Russian crude from its refineries and increased supplies from Norway, Saudi Arabia, the United States, West Africa and other producing regions.

That diversification is now being tested by the interruption of one of its largest supply channels.

ORLEN Says Refinery Demand Is Fully Covered

Despite the Saudi cargo cancellations and elevated physical crude prices, ORLEN said refinery operations have not been disrupted.

“Crude oil supplies to Polish and other ORLEN Group refineries are carried out on an ongoing basis and fully cover their demand,” the company said.

The combination of additional spot purchases, new tenders and longer-term Norwegian supplies gives ORLEN several sources of replacement crude while Saudi export routes remain constrained.

Why This Matters

ORLEN’s response offers a clear example of how disruptions in the Middle East are reshaping physical crude flows into Europe.

The issue is no longer only whether enough oil exists globally. Refiners must also find crude with suitable characteristics, secure shipping and delivery slots, and compete for barrels that can reach their plants when scheduled supplies disappear.

For ORLEN, replacing Saudi barrels means drawing simultaneously on North Sea, Mediterranean, Caspian, African and American supply routes. The company’s ability to do that without cutting refinery runs shows the value of a diversified procurement network, while the elevated cost of physical cargoes illustrates the price of maintaining that flexibility during a supply shock.

Also Read

ORLEN Sees No Immediate Supply Disruptions as Saudi Oil Deliveries Set to Drop

Courtesy: www.reuters.com

Additional company information: ORLEN