Loading articles...

Polish operator starts repairs on pipeline carrying oil from Russia to Europe after detecting a leak

Last Updated Aug 6, 2023 at 8:13 am MDT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s oil pipeline operator said Sunday repairs are underway to a pipeline carrying oil from Russia to Germany that was temporarily shut down after a leak was discovered.

The operator, PERN, said the pipeline is expected to resume normal operations on Tuesday.

PERN said it detected the leak near Chodecz, a town in central Poland about 145 kilometers (90 miles) west of Warsaw. The leak was on one of the two lines that comprise the western section of the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline.

The company said it immediately halted pumping through the faulty pipeline, but the second line was operating normally.

Firefighters and emergency services secured the area. An investigation into the cause of the the leak was underway, PERN said.

The company said in a statement Sunday that crews have reached the damaged section of the pipeline and that repairs were underway.

The Druzhba pipeline stretch carries oil from Russia to refineries in Poland, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, according to the Polish state news agency PAP.

The Associated Press