In Poland, Oil Supply Through the “Druzhba” Pipeline Restored
PERN's technical services have fully restored the functionality of the damaged pipeline on Monday evening. The company is now focusing on clearing the area and bringing it back to its proper condition.
This information has been conveyed by PERN's press office.
Recalling the events, during the entire incident, the first section of the western part of the "Druzhba" oil pipeline operated as per schedule. The second line, which also supplies crude oil to the company's German clients, became fully operational on Monday evening. Corrective measures were undertaken since the incident was detected, starting from Saturday evening. All departments of the company participated in the work.
Currently, PERN's activities in the Hodacz community are centered around cleaning up the area and restoring it to its appropriate state. PERN's environmental protection services, together with a specialized reclamation company, remain on-site.
"I want to express my gratitude to all services involved, particularly the State Fire Service and the Voivodeship Environmental Protection Inspectorate, as well as the PERN employees who were engaged in this round-the-clock effort. There is more work ahead of us. We will put in the effort to ensure the area is completely cleaned up," emphasized Miroslaw Skowron, President of the PERN Management Board.
A post-accident commission was established at the enterprise to determine the causes of the leakage.
Recalling that on Saturday, Polish pipeline operator PERN announced the suspension of oil pumping through the section of the Russian "Druzhba" pipeline due to a leak detected in central Poland. PERN reported that the leak occurred due to damage to a section of one of the western branches of "Druzhba," located in the Hodacz community. They added that repair work on the oil pipeline is currently ongoing, and the resumption of oil pumping is expected on Tuesday.
The operator did not disclose the impact of the damage on oil supplies to Germany, but a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Economics in Berlin stated that "supply security is still fully guaranteed."
Representative of the State Fire Service in Włocławek, Grzegorz Jankowski, stated that the scale of the leak is not substantial.
"The section of the pipeline affected by the leak was disconnected from the rest, so the scale of the leak is not significant. We are talking about a rectangular area measuring 30 by 210 meters," he reported.
PERN noted that the second line of the "Druzhba" oil pipeline, which transports oil from Russia to Europe, is functioning normally, and there is no threat to the health of local residents.
As The Gaze reported, repair works are underway on the damaged section of the 'Druzhba' oil pipeline that occurred last Saturday. According to technical services of the Polish pipeline operator PERN, the incident shows no signs of external interference. They have accessed the damaged section of one of the threads of the western part of the oil pipeline, through which Russian crude oil flows to Germany. The damaged pipe fragment has been cut out and is being prepared for replacement with a new one. The next step will involve welding and X-ray inspections of the welds.
Background
The single system of main oil pipelines, "Druzhba," is one of the largest and most powerful oil pipelines in the world, with a capacity of 2 million barrels per day.
Built to transport oil from Russia to Central and Western European countries, it spans approximately 5200 km in total length.
The pipeline route runs from Almetyevsk in Tatarstan through Samara, Bryansk (Russia) to Mozyr (Belarus), where it branches into two directions: north (Belarus, Poland, and Germany) and south (Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary). Additionally, a route from Bryansk (Russia) through Belarus leads to Lithuania and Latvia.
The Russian section of the pipeline is operated by the company "Transneft"; the Slovak section by Transpetrol; the Ukrainian section by JSC "Ukrtransnafta"; and the Polish section by PERN.