ECOCIDE
Sweden sends special diving vessel to area of pipeline leaks
In this picture provided by Swedish Coast Guard, the gas leak in the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream photographed from the Coast Guard's aircraft on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2022. A fourth leak on the Nord Stream pipelines has been reported off southern Sweden. Earlier, three leaks had been reported on the two underwater pipelines running from Russia to Germany.
(Swedish Coast Guard via AP)More
Mon, October 3, 2022
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden has sent a vessel capable of “advanced diving missions” to the Baltic Sea area where ruptured undersea pipelines leaked natural gas for days, the Swedish navy said Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the West of sabotaging Russia-built natural gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to Germany, a charge vehemently denied by the United States and its allies.
Last week, undersea blasts damaged the pipelines off southern Sweden and Denmark and have led to huge methane leaks, with the Danish and Swedish governments saying that several hundred pounds of explosives was involved. The leaks occurred in international waters.
Capt. Jimmie Adamsson, a spokesman for the Swedish navy, told The Associated Press the vessel — a submarine rescue ship — had been sent to at the position of the leaks off Sweden and was supporting the Swedish coast guard, which is in charge of the work.
It was unclear when anyone would be able to go down, either divers or a submarine.
The coast guard said that it was on site with one of its vessels too, Amfritrite, to monitor sea traffic in the area. It added that bad weather is expected, which will complicate the conditions on site.
Over the weekend, authorities in Denmark said that Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines had stopped leaking.
Sweden's prosecuting authority and the Swedish Security Services are heading an investigation, while Copenhagen police were in charge of an inquiry in Denmark.
Denmark said the investigation was being carried out in close cooperation with relevant authorities, including the National Police, the Danish Police Intelligence Service and Denmark's energy authorities.
A joint international investigation team consisting of relevant authorities from, among others, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, should also be set up.
The U.S.-Russia clashes continued later at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York called by Moscow on the pipelines attacks and as Norwegian researchers published a map projecting that a huge plume of methane from the damaged pipelines will travel over large swaths of the Nordic region.
Sweden sends diving vessel to probe leaking Nord Stream pipelines
Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm
Mon, October 3, 2022
By Johan Ahlander and Terje Solsvik
STOCKHOLM/OSLO (Reuters) - Sweden sent a diving vessel on Monday to the site of Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that ruptured last week following blasts in the area, to probe an incident that has added new tension to Europe's energy crisis.
Europe is investigating what caused three pipelines in the Nord Stream network to burst in an act of suspected sabotage near Swedish and Danish waters that Moscow quickly sought to pin on the West, suggesting the United States stood to gain.
Nord Stream, which runs from Russia to Germany, has been at the centre of a growing gas supply crisis in Europe, which until recently relied heavily on Russian fuel, sending prices soaring.
Several European Union states have triggered emergency plans that may lead to rationing as they race to find alternative supplies, while Britain now faces a "significant risk" of gas shortages this winter, the regulator said.
"The coast guard is responsible for the mission, but we are supporting them with units," a spokesperson for the Swedish navy, Jimmie Adamsson, told Reuters. "The only one we are naming is HMS Belos, which is a submarine rescue and diving vessel."
The Swedish coast guard said Nord Stream 1 had stopped leaking, but an overflight suggested gas was still draining out of Nord Stream 2 and bubbling to the surface over a 30 metre (32 yard) radius.
The Kremlin doubled down on allegations that the West was to blame for the ruptures on Monday, saying that the United States was able to increase sales and prices of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a result.
Washington has strongly denied any involvement. European countries suspect sabotage, but have declined to say who could be behind it.
Kremlin-controlled Gazprom also said flows could resume at the last remaining intact pipeline in the Nord Stream 2 network, a suggestion likely to be rebuffed given Europe blocked Nord Stream 2 on the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.
"If a decision is made to start deliveries through Nord Stream 2's line B, natural gas will be pumped into the pipeline after the integrity of the system has been checked and verified by supervisory authorities," Gazprom said.
The suggestion follows remarks by Russia's deputy prime minister on Sunday that the Nord Stream network could be repaired, given time and enough funds.
NORWAY SENDS SOLDIERS
Nord Stream has been a flashpoint in the energy standoff between the West and Moscow that has pummelled Western economies and fuelled a cost-of-living crisis.
Russia steadily reduced gas flows via Nord Stream 1 this year before halting them altogether at the end of August, blaming technical difficulties caused by Western sanctions. European countries said Moscow was using energy as a weapon.
Nord Stream 2 was never operational, and Western countries have resisted calls from Russia to drop their opposition to the project.
Jolted by the Nord Stream ruptures, European countries have started strengthening security and surveillance around critical infrastructure that could be vulnerable to attack.
Norway, Europe's main gas supplier and a major oil exporter, said it had deployed soldiers to guard major onshore oil and gas processing plants.
Italy has strengthened surveillance and controls on underwater energy and telecommunications cables, a source told Reuters.
Focus has also turned to the security of other gas supply lines. Eni, the biggest importer of Russian gas in Italy, at the weekend said Russia had halted all gas flows through the Tarvisio entry point, though its chief executive on Monday blamed the halt on short-term technical issues.
The stoppage of flows through the Tarvisio entry point "has absolutely nothing to do with geopolitical factors. It is due to the fact that Gazprom would have to pay a monetary guarantee for the transport of gas from Austria to Italy that was not there before," Claudio Descalzi said.
European Union countries meanwhile are trying to forge a consensus on a gas price cap, which is opposed by some countries including economic powerhouse Germany.
EU country leaders are set to ask the European Commission to propose a cap using "workable solutions", according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.
Hungary, which has been at loggerheads with Brussels and criticised Western sanctions on Russia, on Monday secured a deferral on payments for its winter gas supply.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Mon, October 3, 2022
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden has sent a vessel capable of “advanced diving missions” to the Baltic Sea area where ruptured undersea pipelines leaked natural gas for days, the Swedish navy said Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the West of sabotaging Russia-built natural gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to Germany, a charge vehemently denied by the United States and its allies.
Last week, undersea blasts damaged the pipelines off southern Sweden and Denmark and have led to huge methane leaks, with the Danish and Swedish governments saying that several hundred pounds of explosives was involved. The leaks occurred in international waters.
Capt. Jimmie Adamsson, a spokesman for the Swedish navy, told The Associated Press the vessel — a submarine rescue ship — had been sent to at the position of the leaks off Sweden and was supporting the Swedish coast guard, which is in charge of the work.
It was unclear when anyone would be able to go down, either divers or a submarine.
The coast guard said that it was on site with one of its vessels too, Amfritrite, to monitor sea traffic in the area. It added that bad weather is expected, which will complicate the conditions on site.
Over the weekend, authorities in Denmark said that Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines had stopped leaking.
Sweden's prosecuting authority and the Swedish Security Services are heading an investigation, while Copenhagen police were in charge of an inquiry in Denmark.
Denmark said the investigation was being carried out in close cooperation with relevant authorities, including the National Police, the Danish Police Intelligence Service and Denmark's energy authorities.
A joint international investigation team consisting of relevant authorities from, among others, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, should also be set up.
The U.S.-Russia clashes continued later at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in New York called by Moscow on the pipelines attacks and as Norwegian researchers published a map projecting that a huge plume of methane from the damaged pipelines will travel over large swaths of the Nordic region.
Sweden sends diving vessel to probe leaking Nord Stream pipelines
Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm
Mon, October 3, 2022
By Johan Ahlander and Terje Solsvik
STOCKHOLM/OSLO (Reuters) - Sweden sent a diving vessel on Monday to the site of Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that ruptured last week following blasts in the area, to probe an incident that has added new tension to Europe's energy crisis.
Europe is investigating what caused three pipelines in the Nord Stream network to burst in an act of suspected sabotage near Swedish and Danish waters that Moscow quickly sought to pin on the West, suggesting the United States stood to gain.
Nord Stream, which runs from Russia to Germany, has been at the centre of a growing gas supply crisis in Europe, which until recently relied heavily on Russian fuel, sending prices soaring.
Several European Union states have triggered emergency plans that may lead to rationing as they race to find alternative supplies, while Britain now faces a "significant risk" of gas shortages this winter, the regulator said.
"The coast guard is responsible for the mission, but we are supporting them with units," a spokesperson for the Swedish navy, Jimmie Adamsson, told Reuters. "The only one we are naming is HMS Belos, which is a submarine rescue and diving vessel."
The Swedish coast guard said Nord Stream 1 had stopped leaking, but an overflight suggested gas was still draining out of Nord Stream 2 and bubbling to the surface over a 30 metre (32 yard) radius.
The Kremlin doubled down on allegations that the West was to blame for the ruptures on Monday, saying that the United States was able to increase sales and prices of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a result.
Washington has strongly denied any involvement. European countries suspect sabotage, but have declined to say who could be behind it.
Kremlin-controlled Gazprom also said flows could resume at the last remaining intact pipeline in the Nord Stream 2 network, a suggestion likely to be rebuffed given Europe blocked Nord Stream 2 on the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.
"If a decision is made to start deliveries through Nord Stream 2's line B, natural gas will be pumped into the pipeline after the integrity of the system has been checked and verified by supervisory authorities," Gazprom said.
The suggestion follows remarks by Russia's deputy prime minister on Sunday that the Nord Stream network could be repaired, given time and enough funds.
NORWAY SENDS SOLDIERS
Nord Stream has been a flashpoint in the energy standoff between the West and Moscow that has pummelled Western economies and fuelled a cost-of-living crisis.
Russia steadily reduced gas flows via Nord Stream 1 this year before halting them altogether at the end of August, blaming technical difficulties caused by Western sanctions. European countries said Moscow was using energy as a weapon.
Nord Stream 2 was never operational, and Western countries have resisted calls from Russia to drop their opposition to the project.
Jolted by the Nord Stream ruptures, European countries have started strengthening security and surveillance around critical infrastructure that could be vulnerable to attack.
Norway, Europe's main gas supplier and a major oil exporter, said it had deployed soldiers to guard major onshore oil and gas processing plants.
Italy has strengthened surveillance and controls on underwater energy and telecommunications cables, a source told Reuters.
Focus has also turned to the security of other gas supply lines. Eni, the biggest importer of Russian gas in Italy, at the weekend said Russia had halted all gas flows through the Tarvisio entry point, though its chief executive on Monday blamed the halt on short-term technical issues.
The stoppage of flows through the Tarvisio entry point "has absolutely nothing to do with geopolitical factors. It is due to the fact that Gazprom would have to pay a monetary guarantee for the transport of gas from Austria to Italy that was not there before," Claudio Descalzi said.
European Union countries meanwhile are trying to forge a consensus on a gas price cap, which is opposed by some countries including economic powerhouse Germany.
EU country leaders are set to ask the European Commission to propose a cap using "workable solutions", according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.
Hungary, which has been at loggerheads with Brussels and criticised Western sanctions on Russia, on Monday secured a deferral on payments for its winter gas supply.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Jan Harvey)
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