Nord Stream: 50 m holes show force of “powerful explosions”
Published by Elizabeth Corner,
Senior Editor
World Pipelines,
Video shot by a Norwegian robotics company, and published by Swedish newspaper Expressen, appears to show a massive tear of 50 m in the Nord Stream 1 pipe.
The first underwater images taken of the ruptured Nord Stream 1 pipeline reveal the devastating damage caused by what Danish police have described as “powerful explosions” under the Baltic Sea.
Danish police believe "powerful explosions" blew four holes in the pipe and its newer twin, Nord Stream 2.
Gas deliveries have been suspended since the 26 September explosions on the concrete-reinforced steel pipes crossing the Baltic Sea.
Working with Expressen, Blueye Robotics used a submersible drone to film the twisted and bent metal of the Nord Stream pipe 80 m beneath the surface of the sea.
Parts of the pipeline are either missing or buried in the seabed, the company said.
"It is only an extreme force that can bend metal that thick in the way we are seeing," drone operator Trond Larsen told Expressen. Danish police findings appear to confirm those of Swedish authorities who have also been investigating the leaks in the pipelines.
"The inspections have confirmed that there has been extensive damage to Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the Danish exclusive economic zone," said Danish police.
German, Danish, and Swedish authorities have all been investigating the incident but Swedish prosecutors reportedly rejected a joint investigation out of fears of sharing sensitive information related to national security.
Russia previously demanded to be involved in any investigations, saying the damage was in international waters, but Denmark and Sweden refused.
Photographs and footage appear to show long tears in the seabed near the concrete-reinforced steel pipe that was not merely cracked but torn apart in an act of suspected sabotage. At least 50 m of the gas pipeline appeared to be missing, Expressen said.
Three separate investigations are currently trying to assess the full extent of the damage to the two twin pipelines, Nord Stream 1 and 2, and collect evidence as to who was behind the sabotage.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/18102022/nord-stream-50-m-holes-show-force-of-powerful-explosions/
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