Sweden confirms new leak in Nord Stream’s underwater gas pipelines – Eye on the Arctic
The Swedish Coast Guard on Thursday confirmed a fourth leak on the damaged Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, following breaches reported earlier this week.
“We have leaks at two positions” outside Sweden, says Coast Guard spokesperson Mattias Lindholm. There are two more outside Denmark, he said.
Two of the leaks are on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which recently stopped delivering gas, while the other two are on Nord Stream 2, which never started operating. Despite not being operational, both pipelines were filled with gas, which has escaped and bubbled to the surface.
The pipelines run through the Baltic Sea to transport gas from Russia to Germany. The Danish and Swedish governments believe the leaks from their countries were “deliberate acts”.
“All available information indicates that these leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement Wednesday on behalf of the bloc’s 27 members.
Sweden’s coast guard said the latest leak was found on Nord Stream 2, very close to a larger leak found earlier on Nord Stream 1.
NATO said on Thursday it would retaliate for any attack on critical infrastructure in its 30 member states as it suggested that damage to the underwater pipelines off Denmark and the would-be Sweden in international waters was the result of sabotage.
“Any deliberate attack on Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and decisive response,” Nato ambassadors said in a statement. They said the damage to the pipelines “is of deep concern.”
Risk to shipping and the climate
The alliance also said that “all currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless and irresponsible acts of sabotage. These leaks cause risks to shipping and significant environmental damage.”
Explosions were recorded before the leaks were reported. A first explosion was recorded by seismologists early Monday southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. A second, more powerful explosion northeast of the island that night corresponded to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake. Seismic stations in Denmark, Norway and Finland also recorded the explosions.
Some European officials and energy experts have said Russia is likely to blame for any sabotage — it directly benefits from higher energy prices and economic unrest across Europe — though others cautioned against pointing fingers until investigators can determine what happened.
On Wednesday, before the fourth leak was reported, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said it would have taken a large explosive charge to cause the damage.
The leaks are believed to have sent hundreds of thousands of tons of methane gas to the surface and have left the pipes severely damaged, possibly permanently. Methane is a primary component of natural gas.
The Kremlin calls it a “very dangerous situation”
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the Nord Stream pipeline incident would have been impossible without the involvement of a state actor.
“It looks like a terrorist attack, probably carried out at the state level,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
“Judging by the amount of destruction of the Nord Stream, it is difficult to imagine that such a measure could have been taken without a state intervention,” Peskov said. “It is a very dangerous situation that requires a quick investigation.”
He dismissed media reports of Russian warships spotted in the area as “stupid and biased”, adding that “many more aircraft and ships belonging to NATO countries have been spotted in the area.”
Torben Jorgensen, a former admiral in the Danish navy, told The Associated Press that it was “not that demanding” to carry out an operation either by using a remotely operated underwater vehicle or sending divers from a submarine or a surface ship.
With files from Reuters and CBC News
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