Druzhba Russian oil pipeline leak looks like an accident

Poland said on Wednesday it had detected a leak in one of the Druzhba pipelines carrying oil from Russia to Europe, possibly caused by an accident, but the incident could still raise concerns about the security of Europe's energy supplies.

The leak, which operator PERN said it detected on Tuesday evening on the main route carrying oil to Germany, comes at a time when Europe faces a severe energy crisis following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, with gas supplies disrupted by the ongoing conflict. "We can talk about accidental damage here," Mateusz Berger, Poland's top official in charge of energy infrastructure, told Reuters by telephone. Berger said there was no reason to believe the leak was caused by sabotage. The exact causes of the leak are unknown at this point, PERN said in a statement. The leak was detected in a pipeline about 70 kilometers from the city of Plock in central Poland. The Druzhba oil pipeline, whose name means "friendship" in Russian, is one of the largest in the world and supplies Russian oil to much of Central Europe, including Germany, Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria. "(Our) main action is to pump out the liquid and locate and stop the leak," fire brigade spokesman Karol Kierzkowski told state broadcaster TVP Info. "When the pressure decreases, the leak will stop and allow us to reach the leak," Kierzkowski said, adding that it was too early to determine the cause of the leak. He said there was no danger to residents in the area. PERN said the pipeline's second line and other elements of PERN's infrastructure were operating normally. "At this point, all PERN services (technical, operational, in-house fire brigade and environmental protection) are acting in accordance with the algorithms provided for such situations," the operator said. A spokesperson for the Czech pipeline operator MERO said no changes were seen in flows to the Czech Republic. Germany's Schwedt refinery, which supplies 90% of Berlin's fuel needs, the economy ministry and the federal grid regulator were not immediately available for comment. The German government aims to halt oil imports from Russia by the end of the year under European Union sanctions. But in the first seven months of the year, Russia was still its biggest supplier, accounting for just over 30% of oil imports. The German government is in talks to supply Schwedt with oil from Kazakhstan, but even that oil would have to flow to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline. Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!