A new method is presented that uses guided wave techniques for sludge and blockages detection in long-range pipelines. Existing techniques have the limitations that the sludge position needs to be known a priori and the area to be inspected needs to be accessible. Two guided wave techniques have been developed which allow the sludge or blockages to be detected remotely without the need to access the specific location where the pipe is blocked, nor to open the pipe. The first technique measures the reflection of guided waves by sludge which can be used to accurately locate the blocked region; the second technique detects sludge by revealing the changes to the transmitted guided waves propagating in the blocked region or after it. The two techniques complement each other and their combination leads to a reliable sludge or blockage detection. Various types of realistic sludge have been considered in the study and the practical capabilities of the two techniques have been demonstrated.