Poland sees no evidence of interference in oil pipeline spill

By Murat Temizer

ANKARA (AA) - Based on initial findings of damage to the Druzhba pipeline, at this point it appears there are no signs of any third-party interference, according to Polish pipeline operator PERN.

PERN said late Wednesday that after removing most of the contamination from the area near damage to the crude oil pipeline, technical services have located the site of the spill.

"Based on first findings and the manner in which the pipeline was deformed, it appears that at this point there are no signs of any third-party interference. However, more detailed analyses are underway to determine the cause of the incident and to repair the pipeline so that crude oil pumping can be restarted as soon as possible," the company said.

It added that in addition to the action to repair the Western section, which supplies oil to Germany, PERN has started intensive work to return the site to its original state as soon as possible.

PERN said Wednesday that it detected a leak Tuesday evening in one of the two lines of the Druzhba pipeline.

The leak, on one of the two strands of the western section of the pipeline, was found in the city of Wloclawek, 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from the country’s oil hub Plock in central Poland.

According to the pipeline operator, other parts of the pipeline, including the Pomeranian section, which pumps crude oil to Poland and then also to Germany, are operating in standard mode.

Druzhba is the world's largest pipeline system, connecting Siberia and Europe.

The pipeline is the main source of oil supplies to Polish refineries, with a total capacity of 56 million tons per year.