Oil Spill Detected in Western Poland; Supply Remains Unaffected
On Sunday morning, December 1, a leak was identified in the Druzhba pipeline in western Poland.
According to a statement from Ewa Sochacka-Urban, spokesperson for PERN S.A., the spill occurred near Pniewy, a town located approximately 30 kilometers from Poznań, the regional capital.
Local firefighting teams worked tirelessly at the site for over 15 hours, as confirmed by the State Fire Service stationed in Pniewy.
The affected segment belongs to the western section of the pipeline that supplies oil to German refineries. The leak was pinpointed beneath National Road 92, involving one of the two operational lines.
To address the issue, the damaged portion of the pipeline will be replaced. Operations on the compromised line were halted immediately. However, oil continued to flow through the second line, which is fully capable of meeting the required supply volumes.
PERN’s emergency response units, alongside the Polish State Fire Service, secured the area and initiated repairs.
An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway, led by an internal committee at PERN. The company emphasized that the incident poses no threat to local residents and confirmed that oil deliveries and traffic along National Road 92 remain unaffected.
The western segment of the Druzhba pipeline, where the leak was discovered, has an annual crude oil capacity of 27 million tons. This section connects Miszewko Strzałkowskie in northern Poland to Schwedt in Brandenburg, Germany, and supplies crude oil to two refineries in Germany: PCK Raffinerie GmbH in Schwedt and TOTAL Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH in Spergau.
This incident highlights the importance of robust monitoring systems and quick emergency responses to safeguard critical infrastructure and maintain uninterrupted supply chains.
Photo source: Volunteer Fire Department in Pniewy Facebook. All rights reserved.