Romania has declared a crisis-level energy emergency after discovering that 184,000 tons of Azerbaijani crude oil bound for a major refinery had been contaminated with corrosive chemicals in what sources familiar with the investigation suspect was deliberate Russian sabotage.
The contaminated oil, transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline through Turkey, contained dangerously high levels of organic chlorides that would have severely damaged OMV Petrom’s Petrobrazi refinery if processed, Romanian Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan said.
Romanian authorities authorized the release of 80,000 tons of crude oil and 30,000 tons of diesel from strategic reserves to prevent fuel shortages. The emergency measures required notification to the European Commission under EU crisis protocols.
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The Energy Ministry said the quick deployment of reserves prevented potential fuel supply disruptions and market destabilization.
Security sources told Romanian media the contamination appeared consistent with hybrid warfare tactics, potentially carried out by injecting chlorine into the 1,700-kilometer pipeline at any point along its route through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Romanian authorities have not officially accused any party of responsibility for the incident.
The incident also affected other European countries. Italy’s Eni energy company confirmed contamination at one of its refineries, while Czech company Orlen Unipetrol halted operations involving the tainted shipment.
BP, which operates the pipeline system, first detected the contamination in storage tanks at Turkey’s Ceyhan port on July 23. BTC Pipeline Company said one or more shippers had delivered excessive levels of organic chlorides for transportation.
Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has been a strong supporter of Kyiv during Russia’s invasion. The incident comes amid growing concerns about sabotage targeting European energy infrastructure as part of broader efforts to destabilize the region.
Romanian authorities have not publicly confirmed who is responsible for the contamination, but the investigation is ongoing. The country’s strategic reserves total more than 2 million tons and are expected to be replenished within 60 days, officials said.
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