Poland reports leak in Druzhba crude oil pipeline

Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A Polish pipeline operator said Wednesday it found a leak on one of the strands of Russia's Druzhba crude oil artery that delivers product to Germany.

Pipeline operator PERN said its automated systems detected a leak on one of the two lines of the Druzbha pipeline late Tuesday. The leak was discovered on a section of the pipeline about 40 miles from Plock in central Poland.

"This line is used to deliver crude oil to Germany," the pipeline operator stated. "At the moment, the causes of the incident are unknown."

PERN said its crews were able to secure the area shortly after the incident was reported. The pipeline operator offered no details on the amount of oil released from the system, but stressed that the rest of the infrastructure is working normally. There were no apparent issues for the end users in Germany.

Druzhba, which means "friendship" in Russian, went into service in the mid-1960s.

The incident follows late September leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from the twin Nord Stream natural gas pipeline network running through the Baltic Sea to Germany. That system too is controlled by the Kremlin and has long been a source of geopolitical tension given Europe's dependence on Russian natural resources.

The Swedish government said last week that its security teams had conducted a criminal investigation into the Nord Stream incident, a probe that strengthened suspicions that the network was the target of sabotage.

"Certain seizures have been made," the government added.

Western authorities suggested Russian was behind the Nord Stream issue, though the Kremlin countered that it wouldn't attack its own infrastructure.

An issue on yet another Russian pipeline would be a growing concern for European consumers concerned about adequate supplies during the upcoming winter months, though NBC News reported Polish officials stressed the leaks on Druzbha were likely the result of an accident rather than sabotage.