Underwater images have revealed for the first time the full extent of damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from an explosion in late September. Videos published Tuesday by the Expressen newspaper showed that at least 50 meters of the gas pipeline had been destroyed or buried under the seabed. The shots that were filmed at a depth of 80 meters on Monday showed, among other things, large cracks and bent metal.
Trond Larsen, drone pilot for Norwegian company Blueye Robotics, told Expressen that only “extreme force can bend such thick metal in this way”. There was also “a very large impact on the seafloor” around the pipeline, added Larsen, who piloted the underwater drone for the recordings.
Out of service since September
Danish police, meanwhile, said their investigation into the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Danish economic zone had confirmed that the destruction was “caused by strong explosions”. The police announced that they would form a joint investigation team with the Danish secret service PET. However, it is still too early to say whether international cooperation with Sweden and Germany in the research is possible.
In late September, four leaks were discovered off the Danish island of Bornholm on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany and were caused by violent explosions, according to an official Danish-Swedish report. The pipelines were not in operation at the time of the explosions, but they contained gas.
(AFP)