Sabotage speculation: Operator finds multiple damage to Nord Stream pieplines

Speculations about sabotage
Operator finds multiple damage to Nord Stream pieplines

According to experts, gas leaks in pipelines are “extremely rare”. The Nord Stream operator has now confirmed damage to a total of three lines. The cause is still unclear. However, similar suspicions have been expressed with astonishing unanimity by Western countries and Russia.

The operator of the Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream claims to have discovered several damage to the pipelines. Overall, there are unprecedented cases in one day on three lines, said Nord Stream AG. It is unclear when the system will work again.

The Swedish shipping authority had previously reported two leaks on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. “There are two leaks at Nord Stream 1 – one in the Swedish economic zone and one in the Danish economic zone. They are very close to each other,” said a spokesman for the agency. The leaks are northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. A corresponding warning was issued by the authority. The cause of the leaks is therefore still unclear.

Meanwhile, authorities in Germany and Denmark are still looking for the cause. The Danish Navy and German specialists tried to clarify, it was said from security circles. The cause of the incidents has not yet been clarified. However, there is a lot to be said for sabotage. If it were an attack, given the technical complexity, only a state actor would actually come into question.

A spokesman for the Danish energy authority said there was no certain information about a possible cause of the damage. However, such gas leaks are “extremely rare”. “Due to the incidents of the last 24 hours, we see reason to increase the security level,” he said. “We want to ensure thorough monitoring of Denmark’s critical infrastructure.”

Poland suspects Russian provocation

The Russian President’s Office brought sabotage on the lines into play – but without taking any blame on itself. Sabotage cannot be ruled out, nor can any other option, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists. The situation is very worrying and requires an immediate investigation as it poses a problem for the energy security of the entire continent.

However, Poland does not rule out the possibility that a Russian provocation is behind the gas leaks. We are in a situation of high international tension, said Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz in Warsaw. “Unfortunately, our eastern neighbor is constantly pursuing an aggressive policy. If it is capable of an aggressive military policy in Ukraine, it is obvious that provocations cannot be ruled out, even in the sections that are in Western Europe.”

According to a report by the “Tagesspiegel” there could be sabotage behind the drop in pressure. The paper quotes an insider as saying, “We can’t imagine a scenario that isn’t a targeted attack.” And it goes on to say: “Everything speaks against a coincidence.”

Local environmental impact

A pressure drop was detected in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines on Monday. Both twin tubes run from Russia across the Baltic Sea to Germany. Nord Stream 1 was commissioned in 2011. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions by the West, Russia initially reduced gas transport through Nord Stream 1 and stopped it completely a few weeks ago. Nord Stream 2 had been completed a year ago, but had never received an operating license from Germany – also as a result of the attack on Ukraine.

After the pressure drop in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the Federal Network Agency stated that it did not expect any effects on the security of supply. “We are in the process of clarifying the matter in exchange with the Federal Ministry of Economics and the authorities concerned. We currently do not know the causes of the pressure drop,” said a spokesman for the authority. The Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz (BUND) meanwhile assessed the possible short-term effects of the leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines on the environment as locally limited.

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