According to the Danish newspaper Ekstrabladet and confirmed by the Swedish Waterways Administration, the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline has leaked twice. "The gas leak is dangerous for maritime traffic," announced the Danish Maritime Authority.
Yesterday, a leak was also discovered in another pipeline, Nord Stream 2. According to the Danish ministry, it is still too early to assess what caused the leak. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was pressurized with gas before the project was terminated due to sanctions against Moscow. "The gas pipe has never been in use, it was simply prepared for technical work and therefore filled with gas," said Ulrich Lissek, a spokesperson for Nord Stream.
Germany suspects sabotage
According to the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, the German government suspects that the leaks were caused intentionally. According to government sources, it can be nothing but sabotage.
"We cannot imagine a situation where this was not a targeted attack. All signs are against a coincidence," the source told the newspaper. According to Tagesspiegel, the pipes were attacked by submarines or divers.
Nord Stream is owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, whose majority shareholder is the Russian state company Gazprom. Nord Stream 2 is owned and operated by Nord Stream 2 AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gazprom.
Explosions near Nord Stream pipelines
The Swedish National Seismological Network (SNSN) announced yesterday afternoon that it had detected two explosions near the Nord Stream pipelines, one of which had a magnitude of 2.3.
The first explosion took place on Monday at 2:03 a.m., the second at 7:04 p.m., Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported. The coordinates of the explosions match the location of the leaks.
"There is no doubt that these are explosions," commented Björn Lund, a lecturer at the Swedish National Seismology Network. He added that waves could be seen crashing from the bottom to the surface. "Our station in Gnosjö registered an explosion," he added.