NOS News•today, 15:19•Amended today, 18:04
Powerful explosions were recorded by Danish and Swedish seismologists prior to the leakages at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. Three leaks were discovered in the past 24 hours at the two important gas pipelines. Possible sabotage is taken into account.
According to the gas network operator, the damage to the pipelines is “unprecedented”. Because both gas pipelines are currently not in use, the energy supply is not endangered. The pipes do contain gas. It is not yet clear what the impact of the leaks will be on the environment.
The Danish Armed Forces have shared a video showing how the gas leaks are visible at the water’s surface:
Danish army shows images of damage to Nordstream pipelines
According to the Swedish seismology agency SNSN, there is no doubt that underwater explosions occurred. The first was registered at 2:03 a.m. on the night from Sunday to Monday and the second explosion on Monday at 7:04 p.m., Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports. One of the explosions was so powerful that it was detected by monitoring stations all over Sweden.
On Monday at 13:52 and 20:41, the maritime authorities raised the alarm because of the gas leaks. That happened after ships discovered the bubbling gas bubbles.
It is still unclear what caused the explosions. An investigation has been launched into possible sabotage. The gas pipelines run from Russia over the bottom of the Baltic Sea to Germany.
‘No coincidence’
The Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel writes that the German government is taking a targeted action into account. “Everything indicates that this is no coincidence,” the newspaper reports, citing anonymous government sources.
The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister does not rule out that Russia is behind the damage. “Unfortunately, our eastern neighbors are constantly pursuing an aggressive policy. If they are capable of an aggressive military policy in Ukraine, it is clear that provocations cannot be ruled out.”
Huge gas bubbles
Yesterday, a first leak was detected in the Nord Stream 2 pipe, after the pressure in that pipe dropped unexpectedly quickly. According to the Danish authorities, the leakage has created gas bubbles with a diameter of hundreds of meters.
It later became clear that the parallel Nord Stream 1 pipeline was also damaged in two places. Pressure in that leadership has also decreased since last night.
The leaks in the gas pipelines are close to each other:
NOS
Two of the three leaks found are in the coastal waters of Denmark. According to Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen, it is hard to believe that the damage occurred spontaneously. She does not rule out the possibility that there is deliberate intent, although she emphasizes that it is still too early to draw any conclusions.
The European Commission is also on that line, a spokesperson said. “At this stage it is still very premature to speculate about the causes. The EU Member States are following developments closely.”
Russia: very disturbing
Russia itself also says that sabotage cannot be ruled out. A Kremlin spokesman called the news about the Nord Stream 1 and 2 spills “deeply disturbing”. “This is an unprecedented situation that needs to be thoroughly investigated.”
An adviser to Ukrainian President Zelensky speaks of an act of terrorism. “The ‘gas leak’ at Nord Stream 1 is nothing but a terror attack by Russia,” https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M/status/1574736854448246784. He provides no evidence for this claim. Podoliak argues that Moscow wants to disrupt the European economy through sabotage. The Ukrainian advisor also asks for extra tanks, preferably German ones.
Gas price sharply up
Partly due to the incidents at Nord Stream 1 and 2, there are significant price fluctuations in the gas market. Initially, gas was 10 percent more expensive today for a while than the day before, and later in the day it rose to 15 percent.
Analysts link it to the threat of Russia’s Gazprom to impose sanctions on Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz. As a result of such sanctions, the gas flow through Ukraine to Europe could come to a standstill.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has never been operational, as Germany has halted its approval process due to the war in Ukraine. Nord Stream 1 has been closed since late last month; according to the Russian state-owned company Gazprom because of a leak that is difficult to repair. However, many Western countries are skeptical about that statement, which is seen as a political leverage.
