An oil leak occurred in Poland from the "Druzhba" pipeline. Here’s what we know about the incident.
On December 1, an oil leak occurred in Poland on the "Druzhba" pipeline. This pipeline, which plays a vital role in oil supplies to Poland and Germany, was damaged near the town of Pnewy, with the cause of the damage still unknown.
This was reported in a statement from the operator of "Druzhba," PERN SA. It was noted that the Polish company has already halted oil transportation in the affected area and is investigating the situation.
"An oil leak was discovered on Sunday morning in the crude oil pipeline near the city of Pnewy, on one of the two lines of the western section, through which crude oil is supplied to refineries in Germany. Pumping on the damaged line was immediately stopped, while oil deliveries continue through the second line, which fully meets the volume needs of customers", the company stated.
PERN services identified the leak location and have begun addressing the emergency. Plans are in place to seal the damaged section followed by the replacement of the pipe with a new one.
"The work will not affect current oil supplies or the operation of the national road. Local residents are not in danger. The causes of the incident are still unknown and will be investigated by an internal committee of PERN", the company reported.
It is worth noting that a similar accident occurred on the pipeline in October 2022. On the evening of October 11, 2022, an oil leak occurred on the pipeline in Poland, the cause of which took a long time to determine. It is considered premature to assign blame, but there is a possibility that this is a result of Russian activities.
Furthermore, in the early months of the war, some officials believed that the "Druzhba" pipeline could be used to exert pressure on certain Russian allies in Europe, including Hungary. Following this, Hungarian diplomats expressed their strong discontent with such ideas. However, it is clear that the Ukrainian side did not engage in any acts of sabotage.