Danish officials believe that two natural gas pipelines, running under the Baltic Sea, were deliberately sabotaged, causing them to spring what appears to be three leaks. According to seismologists, powerful blasts preceded the gas leaks.
Several European leaders and experts expressed their concern and hinted at the possibility that the leaks were probably due to sabotage. The event comes amid the current energy conflicts with Russia, provoked by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the authorities had already assessed the situation and ascertained that the gas leaks did not happen by accident. There was no concrete evidence indicating who could be behind the leaks. According to Prime Minister Frederiksen, the incident would not be considered to be an “act of war” on Denmark, as the alleged sabotage occurred in international waters.
To reduce Europe’s dependence on energy from Russia, officials inaugurated a long-awaited gas pipeline bringing Norwegian gas to Poland.The announcement of the new pipeline was overshadowed by the unfortunate pipeline leak incident.
Bjorn Lund, Swedish National Seismic Network Director, said that the seismic station documented the first explosion on Monday morning in Bornholm, a Danish Island, and the second explosion was considerably stronger. It was recorded northeast of Bornholm on Monday night and was the same strength as an earthquake with a 2.3 magnitude. Danish, Finnish, and Norwegian seismic stations also recorded the explosions.
Denmark’s Defense Minister, Morten Bodskov, said that the security of the region has been threatened, after he had a meeting with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday.
“Russia has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region and we expect them to continue their sabre-rattling,” Defense Minister Bodskov said in a statement. He said it would take a couple of weeks before the area could be investigated.
Jeppe Kofod, Denmark’s Foreign Prime Minister, said they would reach out to Russia about the leaks and that Sweden, Poland, and Germany are involved in talks as well. The country’s foreign intelligence service did not notice an increase in any military threat against Denmark after the leaks.
Images from Denmark’s military show how the leaks have created a foamy white area on the water. According to Denmark’s Energy Minister, it is unclear how long the leaks will continue, because the gas has not been turned off.
Nord Stream AG, the German operators of the affected pipelines, said they were investigating the pipeline damage. The pipelines’ construction cost billions of dollars.
Russian authorities said sabotage was a possibility. The Russian government cut off gas deliveries to Europe after sanctions were imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
The Swedish acting Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, said that although the incident was not an attack on Sweden, it was likely an act of sabotage.
The biggest impact of the leak would be on the climate because the gas is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. The gas that leaked was made up almost entirely of methane, one of the biggest contributors to climate change. According to David Hastings, a retired chemical oceanographer, most of the gas should evaporate into the stratosphere. Methane is 80 times more dangerous for the climate than carbon dioxide.
During the inauguration of a new pipeline system in the Baltic Sea transporting Norwegian gas to Poland, the Polish Prime Minister called the leaks an act of sabotage, saying that the era of Russia dominating the gas industry was coming to a close, adding that the threats, extortions, and blackmail marked the era.
It is highly unlikely that the Nord Stream pipelines will be able to transport any gas to Europe soon. The Nord Stream pipelines have been a major cause of clashes between Russia and Europe since the start of the Ukraine war in February.
