Poland shuts down Druzhba pipeline section after oil leak
Supply to customers was not affected by a leak on one of the branching pipes of the Russian Druzhba pipeline in Poland, the Polish operator Pern said in a statement on Dec. 1.
The communist-era-built Druzhba pipeline was used to transport oil from Russia to Europe through its two main branches, supplying central Europe through its southern pipeline and northern Europe through the northern pipeline.
Poland has not purchased Russian pipeline oil since early 2023. Druzhba's northern pipeline now mainly transfers oil arriving at its port of Gdansk, supplying Kazakh crude to Germany.
A leak in one of Poland’s pipes on the northern branch caused its operator, Pern, to halt deliveries and reroute the supply earmarked for Germany.
The leak did not affect the quantity of the supply as the second branch's "technical capabilities fully cover the volume needs of customers," the operator said in its statement.
The cause of the leak is unknown and will be investigated, the statement added.
The EU has banned imports of Russian pipeline oil in response to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with only Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary granted exemptions due to their dependence on Russian supplies.
Russian oil continues to transit to Czechia through Poland via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline.
Kateryna Hodunova
