Status: 10/15/2022 4:06 p.m
Oil can once again flow from Russia to Germany in full through the Druzhba pipeline. The leak discovered in Poland on Tuesday has been repaired, the operator PERN said.
Four days after a leak was discovered in Poland, the Druzhba oil pipeline has resumed regular operations. The Polish operator PERN announced that it had restored the full functionality of the pipeline, so that oil can be delivered to German customers again via the two parallel tubes from today.
The leak was discovered on Tuesday evening about 70 kilometers from the central Polish city of Plock. The main line through which crude oil is delivered to Germany was affected – but only Pipeline 2, while Pipeline 1, which runs parallel to it, was undamaged and remained in operation. Firefighters pumped large quantities of crude oil from a dip in a cornfield where oil had spilled from the pipeline, which was underground at that point.
On Wednesday, the line operator announced that technicians had penetrated the leak. Initially, there were no indications of possible sabotage. “According to the first findings and the way in which the pipeline is deformed, there is no evidence of an external influence at this point in time,” it said.
The cause of the leak is under further investigation
However, after the repair, PERN once again made it clear that the cause of the leak would be further investigated. Initially, however, the company’s main focus was on restoring the pipeline to full functionality and on clearing and cleaning the area around the leak.
The pipeline – “Druzhba” means “friendship” – is one of the longest oil pipelines in the world. It originates in Russia, then branches out and brings crude oil to Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Austria and Germany, among others. It supplies large parts of Central Europe with Russian oil – including the Schwedt refinery, which in turn plays a major role in supplying Berlin and Brandenburg. The pipes of the pipeline run partly above and partly below ground.