Poland partially halts Druzhba oil pipeline to Germany after detecting leak

Poland has halted flows on one of the two strings of the northern section of Russia's Druzhba crude pipeline to Germany after a leak was detected late Oct. 11, the Polish crude oil pipeline operator PERN said Oct. 12.

The affected pipeline is part of the system that delivers Russian Urals crude to Germany's Schwedt and Leuna refineries via Poland, with the leak occurring on the western section of the line about 70 km from Plock, PERN said.

About 400 cu m of oil have been pumped out of the damaged stretch of the pipeline and crude transmission has been suspended, a spokesperson for the Polish fire service said.

Germany's energy ministry confirmed it had detected a drop in pressure on the supply line and noted that initial information from Polish authorities is that the damage was unintentional, not sabotage.

The ministry said that "security of supply in Germany is currently guaranteed," adding that the Schwedt and Leuna refineries continue to receive crude via the second string of the Druzhba pipeline via Poland.

PERN said the cause of the leak is not yet known but was in contact with German partners receiving crude through the Druzhba pipeline, adding that "deliveries are made according to the technical possibilities."

The second string of the pipeline is operating as normal, as is the pipeline that delivers crude oil to PKN Orlen's Plock refinery from the Gdansk terminal, PERN said.

PKN Orlen confirmed that crude supplies to the Plock refinery are not affected.

TotalEnergies, owner of the 230,000 b/d Leuna refinery, was not immediately available for comment. Russian state pipeline operator Transneft declined to comment.

Germany's energy regulator took over Rosneft's stakes in three refineries last month, including the Rosneft-operated 230,000 b/d Schwedt plant, as EU sanctions on Russian oil imports are set to kick in Dec. 5. The Schwedt refinery has traditionally relied on Russian crude delivered via the Druzhba network, although some of its requirements can be met via German and Polish ports. Schwedt is able to import 5 million-7 million mt/year of crude from the German port of Rostock, equivalent to a utilization rate at the refinery of 48%-60%, and with additives and upgrades, the pipeline's capacity could be increased to 9 million mt/year, equivalent to a refinery utilization of 75% in two-three years, the ministry estimated.

PERN said the cleanup from the leak will take "several more hours" after which repair operations will begin on the route.

Germany's energy ministry said both Schwedt and Leuna's own crude stocks have been "deliberately increased in the past few weeks as a precaution," adding that they also have supply routes through the ports of Rostock and Gdansk.