Following the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, a leak has now been discovered on the important Druzhba (“Friendship”) oil pipeline, which connects Russian oil fields to refineries in Central and Eastern Europe. According to the Polish operator PERN, the cause of the damage is still unclear.
“Late Tuesday evening, PERN’s automation systems discovered a leak in the pipeline on one of the two strands of the western part – about 70 kilometers from Plock (a large city about 100 kilometers northwest of Warsaw, ed.)”, reports the operator. There was a pressure drop. According to the Polish media, a large number of emergency services are currently on site to detect the leak. However, this is difficult because everything is covered with leaked oil. The affected line is closed.
Warsaw does not believe in sabotage
A government representative in Warsaw said in a telephone conversation with Reuters news agency that it was currently believed to be an accident. “There is no reason to believe sabotage,” said an official from Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s office.
A spokeswoman for Czech pipeline operator MERO said no changes in flows to the Czech Republic have been detected so far. Druzhba’s oil pipeline is one of the largest in the world, supplying Russian oil to much of central Europe – including Germany, Austria, Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The line also supplies the East German refinery Schwedt, of which Russian owner Rosneft has a majority stake. Germany wants to stop using Russian oil from the end of the year.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
