Poland Begins Repair of Damaged Section of 'Druzhba' Oil Pipeline
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.
All services are working around the clock. The expected time for the resumption of oil pumping is Tuesday morning. The first thread of the western part of the oil pipeline, as well as other elements of the PERN infrastructure, including the Pomorska section used for transporting crude oil arriving in Poland via tankers, are operating on schedule.
A specialized land reclamation company has already begun work on the site to restore it to its original state. The company is also in constant communication with the voivodeship environmental protection inspection in Bydgoszcz, the regional branch in Włocławek.
PERN has also initiated the process of identifying owners of the affected areas for potential compensation.
Recalling the incident, on Saturday evening, PERN's automation systems detected a leak on the 'Druzhba' oil pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Germany.
Firefighters with the necessary equipment immediately headed to the scene. Company spokesperson Katarzyna Krasinska stated that experts will first clean the damaged section from raw materials and prepare it for further repairs, as well as remove the leaked oil from the pipeline.
The pressure on the damaged section was immediately disconnected. The second branch of the oil pipeline continues to operate unaffected. There is no threat to the lives and health of local residents.
The causes of the leak have not been disclosed yet, but it has been clarified that there are no signs of external interference.
This is the second similar incident on the western section of the 'Druzhba' oil pipeline in the past year. The previous one occurred in October 2022, and the pipeline was repaired within three days.
According to Eurostat data, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU significantly reduced its share of imported oil products and gas from Russia at the beginning of July.