Druzhba Pipeline: Leak Discovered, Supplies Unaffected

On December 1, a leak occurred on the Druzhba oil pipeline in western Poland. This section transports Kazakhstan's oil from the city of Plock to refineries in Germany, Orda.kz reports, citing Reuters. 

The Polish State Fire Service and the pipeline operator PERN confirmed the leak. Oil supplies have not been affected, and rescuers assured that there was no threat of fire or explosion.

The Druzhba operator is considering any causes of damage to the pipeline.

PERN said the fuel leak had not affected customers' oil supplies.

Pumping on the damaged line was immediately stopped, oil supplies continue through the second line,
 the organization reported.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy said that comments on the situation would be provided later.

The Druzhba oil pipeline consists of two sections: the northern one, which goes through Poland to Germany, and the southern one, which supplies Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

After the introduction of EU sanctions against Russian oil, oil transport along the northern branch ceased, but Kazakhstan's oil has been transported along this route to Germany since February 2023.

Germany is one of the largest importers of Kazakhstan's oil. In November, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy reported that 1.2 million tons of fuel had been sent to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline since the beginning of the year.

Original Author: Zarina Fayzulina