Reports from Sweden: the gas in the broken pipeline has not yet dried up. The larger outlet point on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, however, is no longer visible on the water surface.
Contrary to expectations, gas leaks from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea have not yet completely dried up. As the Swedish Coast Guard announced, the area where gas escapes from water has increased at even the smaller of the two exit points of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the country’s economic zone. It was about 30 meters after the Coast Guard reported a diameter of 15 meters over the weekend.
The initially larger outlet point on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, on the other hand, can no longer be seen on the surface of the water. Danish authorities only announced over the weekend that there were no more gas leaks at the two points in their economic zone. The operator, Nord Stream AG, was informed that the pressure in the pipeline on Nord Stream 1 had stabilized. This indicates that no more gas is escaping. The Danes had already announced the same status for Nord Stream 2 on Saturday.
Gas pumped out of the pipe intact
Russian state-owned Gazprom also confirmed that pressure on the lines of the two pipelines has now stabilized. To ensure safety, gas is still being pumped out of the Nord Stream 2’s intact pipeline to create better conditions for pipeline verification.
Previously, large amounts of gas had continuously escaped for days from the four leaks in the two pipelines – two of them in Swedish waters, two in Danish waters. Many states assume sabotage. At least two explosions took place underwater, Denmark and Sweden announced during the week.
The seismological institutes measured a force of 2.3 and 2.1, which “probably corresponds to an explosive charge of several hundred kilograms”. The Swedish coast guard declined to provide any information on Monday about the latest state of the investigation.
(APA/dpa)