Hungary Halts Gas Shipments to Ukraine

Hungary's gas pipeline operator has suspended gas shipments to Ukraine from Hungary as of 1600 GMT on Thursday because of an expected heavy increase in gas shipments going the opposite way, it said in a statement.

The shipments have been suspended indefinitely, the pipeline operator FGSZ said.

"As system users notified us starting on the gas day of Sept 26, 2014, demand for imports increase significantly," the operator said in an emailed statement.

"In order to sustain supply security and system balance the (Ukraine-Hungary border) hub must be switched in a way that all pipelines on the network are suitable for shipments in the direction of (Hungary)," it said.

It said the 6 billion cubic metre annual capacity for gas shipments from from Hungary to Ukraine is subject to technical and commercial conditions and is not a guaranteed capacity.

(Reporting by Marton Dunai; editing by David Clarke)