Sweden and Denmark probe leaks in Nord Stream fuel pipelines

Sweden and Denmark are investigating leaks in each Nord Stream fuel pipelines between Russia and Europe, warning ships to keep away from the realm.

Sweden’s maritime administration on Tuesday reported two leaks within the Nord Stream 1 pipeline — one every in Swedish and Danish waters — near the Danish island of Bornholm within the Baltic Sea.

That report got here hours after Denmark’s vitality company mentioned there was a separate leak on the now defunct Nord Stream 2 pipeline, additionally near Bornholm.

The leaks in each pipelines is not going to have an effect on fuel provide to Europe.

Swedish and Danish authorities warned ships to maintain away from the area as they examine the potential causes of the leaks. The Swedish maritime administration additionally cautioned that plane ought to hold a “security altitude” of 1,000 metres within the space.

Denmark’s army warned in June {that a} Russian warship twice violated its territorial waters north of Bornholm, throughout an annual democracy competition on the island.

German authorities cancelled Nord Stream 2 simply earlier than Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, however the pipeline had been crammed with fuel in anticipation of its start-up.

Russia reduce provides by way of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline this month, intensifying an vitality disaster in Europe as international locations rush to switch that fuel from different sources earlier than the winter.

A brand new fuel pipeline between Norway — now Europe’s greatest provider of fuel — and Poland is because of open on Tuesday.

Nord Stream, the pipeline operator, mentioned late on Monday that its management centre had registered a “strain drop on each strings” of Nord Stream 1. “The explanations are being investigated,” it added.

The 2 pipelines have been on the coronary heart of the vitality struggles between Europe and Russia. Successive German governments insisted that Nord Stream 2 was purely a industrial enterprise, even because the US and different critics warned that it was a part of the Kremlin’s makes an attempt to extend Europe’s dependence on Russian vitality.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz stunned many two days earlier than Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine by cancelling the approval course of for the pipeline, which had been accomplished however was awaiting certification.

Russia was then accused of weaponising vitality provides because it reduce flows by way of the operational Nord Stream 1 pipeline by way of the summer time, earlier than lastly saying in early September it will hold it switched off till the EU lifted sanctions towards it.

That transfer rippled by way of European vitality markets, inflicting Nordic ministers to warn of a possible Lehman Brothers second whereas providing billions of euros in liquidity assist to utilities. Germany additionally nationalised Uniper, its largest importer of fuel, which struggled to switch its Russian provides.