Druzhba pipeline 'attacked' near Ukraine border
Published by Sara Simper,
Editorial Assistant
World Pipelines,
Russia's oil pipeline operator Transneft said on Wednesday 10 May that a filling point on the Europe-bound Druzhba pipeline in a Russian region bordering Ukraine had been attacked, the TASS news agency reported, citing the company.
Transneft said nobody was injured in the incident, which it branded a "terrorist attack", TASS reported.
"Yes, indeed, early this morning there was an attempt to commit a terrorist act against the Druzhba oil pipeline system at the Bryansk filling station," Transneft's spokesman told TASS. "As a result, no one was hurt. The competent authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident."
Early on Wednesday, Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's law enforcement agencies, reported that three empty oil reservoirs at the Druzhba pipeline's filling station came under attack. It said there were no leaks following the attacks.
Russian oil supplies via the Soviet-built pipeline have not been sanctioned, however, European countries are scaling back usage of the route amid wider sanctions against Moscow. Druzhba pipeline was attacked several times after the start of what Kremlin casts as a special military operation in Ukraine last February.
Oil supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the pipeline had been temporarily suspended in November 2022 after a rocket hit a power station close to the Belarus border which provides electricity for a pump station. The pipeline also came under attacks in the Bryansk region in March.
Image: REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Read the latest issue of World Pipelines magazine for pipeline news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.
World Pipelines’ May 2023 issue
The May 2023 issue of World Pipelines includes a special section on pipeline design and operation in extreme environments. Also featured are technical articles on field joint coatings, pipeline steels, and safety and risk management for pipeline networks.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/11052023/druzhba-pipeline-attacked-near-ukraine-border/
You might also like
Decouplers making a difference
Jay Warner, Dairyland Electrical Industries, USA, Jerzy Sibila and Jerzy Mossakowski, CORRSTOP, Poland, explain how AC mitigation is a proven technique to solve AC interference problems on pipelines, referring specifically to the use of DC decouplers.