The rupture of a pipeline in Russia's Lipetsk region will not affect oil consumers, a spokesman for Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said on Thursday.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said earlier on Thursday a section of the Druzhba pipeline network burst at around 03:20 p.m. (12:20 GMT) on Wednesday, 438 kilometers (272 miles) southeast of Moscow. According to the ministry, some 100 tons (730 barrels) of oil had spilled from the pipeline as the result of the leak.
Transneft's spokesman Igor Demin said only 50 tons (375 barrels) of crude had spilled from the pipeline.
Repair work is underway, he said, adding the company is planning to resume oil flow in the pipeline Friday morning.
Demin pledged the rupture would not affect oil consumers.
Druzhba, the world's longest pipeline network, was built in the 1960s to pump oil from central Russia to Europe.
The pipeline starts in Russia's Volga region, and forks into two lines. The northern branch passes through Belarus and then on to Germany via Poland, while the southern branch pumps crude to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic via Ukraine.
MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti)
