Oil Pipeline From Russia To Europe Remains Operational Despite Shelling

A pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline was shelled on Tuesday in a western Russian region bordering Ukraine and Belarus, but the pipeline carrying oil from Russia to Europe operated normally on Wednesday, Russia’s pipeline monopoly Transneft said.

There have been reports about the shelling of a section of the pipeline in the Bryansk region in Russia. 

According to Russian media, the pumping station Novozybkovo on the Druzhba pipeline was targeted on January 31 by Ukraine.

Representatives for Transneft told Russian news agencies that as a result of a shell hit on the territory of the station, there were no victims, and the damage was being repaired.

“The Druzhba oil pipeline is operating normally,” a Transneft representative told the TASS news agency.  

The Novozybkovo station is typically used at peak loads on a one-time basis, and the last time was last year for a few hours, the representative added.

Currently, there are no problems with the pumping of oil through the Druzhba pipeline, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov told Russian media.

The Druzhba pipeline is a key artery of oil supply from Russia to Europe, with two branches – a northern one via Belarus to Belarus, Poland, Germany, Latvia, and Lithuania, and a southern one passing through Ukraine and sending oil to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia.

Flows through the Druzhba pipeline are exempted from the EU embargo on imports of Russian crude oil by sea that came into effect on December 5. The EU has exempted pipeline oil flows to landlocked EU member states from the ban.

Nevertheless, Germany and Poland have said they would halt imports of Russian crude via the Druzhba pipeline as of January 1. Germany did it on the first day of this year, following through on a previous pledge to stop buying Russian pipeline crude despite the fact that the EU embargo exempts pipeline flows from Russia to Europe.   

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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