Adriatic pipeline tests fail to verify stable oil supply for Hungary, Slovakia, MOL says

BUDAPEST, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Fresh tests on the Adriatic pipeline by Hungary's oil group MOL MOLB.BU and Croatian operator Janaf JANF.ZA have not yet verified that it is capable of supplying Hungary and Slovakia with enough oil in the long run, MOL said on Wednesday.

MOL said the joint tests, which started in September, would last for months and are aimed at assessing how much crude the Adriatic pipeline is capable of shipping in a stable manner. MOL said last week's tests faced some technical issues.

Hungary and Slovakia are the two EU members that still mostly depend on Russian oil delivered via the Druzhba pipeline, helping fuel Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The total capacity of MOL's two main refineries in Hungary and Slovakia is 14.2 million tonnes, much of it transported via Druzhba.

"During last week's tests the (Adriatic) pipeline was not able to operate at sufficient capacity for longer than 1-2 hours," MOL said in an emailed statement.

Janaf was not immediately available for comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he plans to call Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to urge him to stop purchasing Russian oil, part of a broader push to pressure NATO allies to cut energy ties with Moscow.

MOL, which signed a contract with Janaf in February for delivery of 2.1 million tons of oil by the end of 2025, has expressed doubts whether the Adriatic pipeline could supply enough oil if shipments on Druzhba stopped entirely.

Earlier this month, Stjepan Adanic, chairman of the management board at Janaf, told Reuters that Janaf could fully cover the annual crude needs of MOL's two refineries.