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NORD STREAM

Images released of Nord Stream leak sites as Danish police confirm explosions

At least 50 metres of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline has been destroyed or buried under the seafloor following assumed sabotage, underwater images published on Tuesday showed. Denmark's police meanwhile said its investigations had confirmed the leaks were caused by explosions.

Published: 18 October 2022 10:48 CEST
Images released of Nord Stream leak sites as Danish police confirm explosions
Gas emissions in the Baltic Sea from the Nord Stream pipeline on September 27th. Photo: Swedish Coast Guard

In videos published by Swedish newspaper Expressen, a massive tear and twisted metal can be seen on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline 80 metres down.

According to the newspaper, the videos that were filmed on Monday show how over 50 metres of the pipeline is either missing or buried under the seabed, and long tears can be observed on the seabed leading up to the burst pipe.

“It is only an extreme force that can bend metal that thick in the way we are seeing,” Trond Larsen, drone operator with the Norwegian company Blueye Robotics, told Expressen.

Larsen, who piloted the submersible drone which captured the video, also said you could also see “a very large impact on the seabed around the pipe.”

Investigations by Denmark’s police, military and intelligence service PET have meanwhile confirmed that the leaks at Nord Stream 1 and 2 were caused by explosions, the Danish police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Copenhagen Police and PET are working together on the investigation into what caused the leakages, the statement said.

“Investigations have confirmed that extensive damage occurred to Nord Stream 1 and 2 in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and that the damage was caused by powerful explosions,” the written statement said.

Copenhagen Police said it was too early to say when the investigation would be complete, but that it would continue to work closely with “relevant authorities in Denmark and abroad” to examine the explosion sites.

The two Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by explosions under the Baltic Sea at the end of September, causing four leaks.

While the leaks were in international waters, two of them were in the Danish exclusive economic zone and two of them in the Swedish.

Swedish authorities announced on October 6th that they had conducted an underwater inspection of the site and collected “pieces of evidence,” and that the inspection backed up suspicions of probable sabotage.

The pipelines, which connect Russia to Germany, have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Although the pipelines were not in operation, they contained gas before falling victim to the apparent sabotage.

READ ALSO: Sweden opts out of joint Nord Stream probe with Germany and Denmark

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NORD STREAM

Danish investigators close Nord Stream sabotage probe

Danish police said on Monday that they were closing their investigation into the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia and Germany. 

Published: 26 February 2024 11:59 CET
Danish investigators close Nord Stream sabotage probe

“Based on the investigation, the authorities can conclude that the sabotage of the pipelines was intentional,” Copenhagen Police said in a statement.

“At the same time, it is also assessed that there is not the necessary basis for pursuing a criminal case in Denmark,” it said.

Neighbouring Sweden closed its investigation in early February citing a lack of jurisdiction, meaning only Germany now has an ongoing investigation into the leaks.

Four large gas leaks were discovered on Nord Stream’s two pipelines off the Danish island of Bornholm, with seismic institutes recording two underwater explosions just before.

The pipelines had been at the centre of geopolitical tensions as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation for Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

While the leaks were in international waters, two were in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden’s.

The pipelines were not in operation when the leaks occurred, but they still contained gas which spewed up through the water and into the atmosphere.

Denmark, Sweden and Germany all opened investigations into the explosions.

All three countries have kept a tight lid on their investigations, which analysts have said was because of the potential diplomatic fallout of what they might uncover.

Copenhagen Police said that the investigation — which had been carried out together with Denmark’s intelligence service PET — had been “complicated and extensive.”

It added that it was not in a position to “provide further comments” in the case.

Different theories have emerged pointing the finger at Ukraine, Russia or the United States. All have denied involvement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticised the closure of Denmark’s investigation, calling it “absurd”.

“The situation is close to absurd. On the one hand, they recognise that a deliberate sabotage took place, but on the other hand they are not moving forward,” Peskov said on Monday.

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