Leak discovered in pipeline bringing Russian oil to Germany

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – A leak has been discovered in an underground oil pipeline in Poland, the main route taking Russian crude oil to Germany, the Polish operator said on Wednesday.

Operator PERN said it discovered a leak in the Druzhba pipeline, which originates from Russia, on Tuesday evening about 70 kilometers from the central Polish city of Plock.

It said the cause of the leak was unknown. The incident follows leaks late last month in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which run along the seabed of the Baltic Sea.

The Druzhba pipeline, which means “friendship” in Russian, is one of the longest oil pipelines in the world, and after leaving Russia, it branches out to carry crude oil to Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Austria, and the United States, among others to bring Germany.

Firefighters were working in the corn fields near the village of Zurawice to determine the exact location of the leak, according to a fire department spokesman, Brig. Karl Kierzkowski. He told state news channel TVP Info that about 400 cubic meters of spilled crude oil had been pumped out and transmission along the pipeline blocked.

Russia supplied around 35% of Germany’s crude oil supply last year. But that share was reduced after Moscow invaded Ukraine, and Germany is now focused on gradually phasing out remaining supplies before a European Union embargo on most Russian imports comes into effect next year.

A month ago, the federal government took control of three refineries owned by Russian energy company Rosneft, which account for about 12% of Germany’s oil refining capacity.