The leak that caused the partial closure of the pipeline Druzhba, linking Russia to Germany, was, according to the first analysis, of accidental origin, said the Polish operator PERN.
“Based on initial findings and given the deformations in the pipeline, it appears that at this stage there is no evidence of third-party intervention,” PERN said in a statement late Wednesday evening.
“However, detailed analyses are underway to determine the cause of the incident and repair the pipeline so that crude oil pumping can resume as soon as possible,” PERN further stated.
One of the two lines of Druzhba, a vital pipeline for the supply of Russian crude oil to eastern Germany and at the heart of an energy dispute with Russia, was closed on Tuesday evening after a leak was detected on an underground section of the pipeline in Zurawice, 180 kilometers west of Warsaw.
According to PERN, this part of the pipeline transports crude oil to two German refineries: PCK Raffinerie GmbH Schwedt and Total Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH in Spergau.
The incident did not cause a halt in crude oil deliveries to Germany, the Polish and German parties announced on Wednesday.
The incident occurred after an alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia to Germany.
The Druzhba pipeline, whose name means “friendship”, began to be built in the early 1960s and today stretches over a network of 5,500 kilometers long, and carries oil from the Urals to refineries in Poland, Germany.
Another branch of Druzhba transports Russian oil to Hungary, the
Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
