Polish pipeline operator Pern expects to restart crude flows through the northern section of the Druzhba pipeline system on 8 August after a leak forced the company to partially halt pumping oil to Germany on 5 August, the firm said today.
The leak was detected near the central Polish town of Chodecz on one of two Druzhba lines in Poland that pump crude west to Germany. "Repair work on the pipeline is currently underway. The expected time to resume pumping is Tuesday morning," Pern said.
All other elements of the company's infrastructure, including the other leg of the pipeline delivering crude to Germany, were operating normally and "without any impact", the company said.
The Druzhba pipeline system supplies Russian Urals crude to refineries across central and eastern Europe. It splits into two legs in Belarus, with the northern section running through Poland and onto Germany, and the southern tranche crossing Ukraine into Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Druzhba exports of Russian crude to Germany ended in December, while Russian pipeline operator Transneft suspended Druzhba Urals shipments to Poland earlier this year. But Kazakh crude has been delivered to Germany through Druzhba's northern leg since February.
Pern said it is investigating the leak but has has yet to issue an update on the cause. A similar incident occurred in October last year between the Polish city of Plock and the German border. That leak, which was detected around 70km west of Plock, took four days to repair.
