Leak detected on another Russian pipeline connecting to Europe, but Poland says it looks accidental

Polish pipeline relation PERN said Wednesday that a leak detected connected 1 of its Druzhba pipelines bringing lipid from Russia to Europe was apt caused by an accident.

The leak was detected connected Tuesday evening connected 1 of the 2 lines of the Western conception of the pipeline, PERN said successful a statement. The incidental occurred astir 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) from the cardinal Polish metropolis of Plock.

PERN said pumping connected the damaged line, which delivers lipid to Germany, was instantly switched disconnected and the country had been secured. Pumping done the different enactment continued arsenic normal, the institution said.

The origin of the incidental is not yet known, but the Polish authorities said the harm caused was astir apt accidental.

Mateusz Berger, Poland's apical authoritative successful complaint of vigor infrastructure, told Reuters via telephone that determination were nary grounds to judge the leak was caused by sabotage. "Here we tin speech astir accidental damage," Berger said.

The Druzhba pipeline, which translates arsenic "friendship" successful Russia, is 1 of the biggest lipid pipeline networks successful the world, delivering crude from Russia to overmuch of cardinal and eastbound Europe including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus, Poland and Slovakia.

It comes conscionable implicit 2 weeks aft a bid of blasts connected 2 subsea state pipelines connecting Russia to Germany triggered what mightiness beryllium the azygous largest merchandise of methane successful history.

An archetypal transgression country probe led by Sweden's nationalist information work said the state leaks connected the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines reinforced suspicions of "gross sabotage."

Many successful Europe fishy the Nord Stream state leaks were the effect of a deliberate attack, peculiarly arsenic the blasts came amid a bitter vigor standoff betwixt the European Union and Russia.

The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed claims it destroyed the pipelines, calling specified allegations "stupid" and "absurd," and claiming that it is the U.S. that had the astir to summation from the state leaks.

The White House has denied immoderate engagement successful the suspected attack.

Oil prices traded higher connected Wednesday morning.

International benchmark Brent crude futures traded 0.5% higher astatine $94.80 a barrel, portion U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures stood astatine $89.66 a barrel, up astir 0.3%.