BELGRADE (Sputnik) - Reports about a leak on the Druzhba oil pipeline and other problems around Russian oil supplies look like a continuation of the events on the Nord Stream gas pipeline as part of an energy war, Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on Wednesday.
"What we all need to know is that there is a world energy war going on. It is still not a world war as we imagine it, without nuclear weapons, but this is a world energy war. What is happening in connection with the Druzhba oil pipeline, which is the most longest in the world ... looks like a continuation of what happened on the Nord Stream gas pipeline," Mihajlovic said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Polish operator PERN stated that it had detected a leak in the Druzhba pipeline service. The fire brigade was immediately rushed to the site to assess the situation, secure the area and begin restoration work, the statement read. Meanwhile, the oil is supplied to the German refineries "taking into account technical capabilities".
At the same time, the operator estimated that it will take a few more hours to remove oil that had leaked out from the damaged pipeline, after which an investigation into possible causes will be carried out.
Druzhba ("Friendship" ) is one of the biggest pipeline systems in the world, and serves as the largest supply way for oil transports from Russia and Kazakhstan to points in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
