Transneft receives notification from Pern on leak along Druzhba pipeline, repair timeframe still unknown

MOSCOW. Oct 12 (Interfax) - Poland's Pern has notified Transneft about a leak along the Druzhba main oil pipeline, though no timeframe has been set for repairing the damage, Sergei Andronov, Transneft's vice president, has told Interfax.

"Yes, we have received notification from the Polish company about the leak. There is still no information on the timeframe for repairing the damage," Andronov said.

"They are accepting oil for the time being, meaning that they have containers in which they are receiving oil," Andronov explained to reporters.

Pern reported on Wednesday morning that it had detected an oil leak on Tuesday evening along one of the two strings of the western section of the Druzhba pipeline, about 70 km from Plock. The branch supplies oil to Germany. The reasons for the leak are currently unknown, and the damaged section has been shut off, though the second line is operating without change, and the other elements of Pern's infrastructure, including the section along which oil delivered by tanker is transported to Germany, is operating normally, the company said.