Was Another European Natural Gas Pipeline Sabotaged?

While the world’s eyes stared at the Israel-Hamas conflict, another European natural gas pipeline allegedly was sabotaged.

Did Nordstream 2.0 occur under our noses?

Authorities are investigating damage to an undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia in the Baltic Sea.

“The Balticconnector gas pipeline was shut early on Sunday on concerns that gas was leaking from a hole in the 77-km (48-mile) pipeline,” Reuters reports.

Finnish gas operator Gasgrid says the damage may take months to repair.

“It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The cause of the damage is not yet clear, the investigation continues in cooperation between Finland and Estonia,” Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement shared by Reuters.

While all eyes 👀 are on
Israel🇮🇱 another pipeline got sabotaged running between Finland 🇫🇮 and Estonia. 🇪🇪
I will look forward to Seymour Hersh’s substack after he thoroughly investigates in search of the truth .
Undersea pipeline damage appears to be deliberate, says Finland…

— Tom Moore (@junogsp7) October 11, 2023

Story summary pic.twitter.com/fl3eD6c63I

— Tom Moore (@junogsp7) October 11, 2023

Per The Guardian:

Extensive damage to an undersea gas pipeline and communications cable connecting Finland and Estonia “could not have occurred by accident” and appears to be the result of a “deliberate … external act”, Finnish authorities have said.

“It is likely that the damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of external activity,” the Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö, said on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, adding that the cause of the damage was not yet clear.

Local media cited unnamed government sources as saying Russian sabotage was suspected, while regional security experts said a Russian survey vessel had recently been observed making repeated visits to the vicinity of the Balticconnector pipeline.

Petteri Orpo, the Finnish prime minister, told a press conference in Helsinki that a preliminary assessment suggested that “the observed damage could not have been caused by normal use of the pipeline or by pressure fluctuations”.

Asked directly about the likelihood of Russian involvement, Orpo said he did not want to speculate on potential perpetrators before the investigation was complete. “It’s important … not to jump to conclusions at this stage,” he said.

Nord Stream 2.0? Finland-Estonia Undersea Pipeline In Baltic "Has Been Deliberately Damaged"   https://t.co/c0Td40B9Eo

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 10, 2023

Is it possible this ‘sabotage’ gets blamed on Russia?

That seems likely.

NATO said it would respond if the damage to the Estonia-Finland pipeline was “deliberate.”

Reuters reports:

NATO will discuss damage to a gas pipeline and data cable running between member states Finland and Estonia, and will mount a “determined” response if a deliberate attack is proven, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

Damage to the Balticconnector pipeline and telecommunications cable was confirmed on Tuesday after one of the two pipeline operators, Finland’s Gasgrid, noted a drop in pressure and possible leak on Sunday night during a storm.

Helsinki, which is investigating, has said the damage was probably caused by “outside activity”. That has stoked concern over regional energy security and pushed gas prices higher.

“The important thing now is to establish what happened and how this could happen,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels ahead of a meeting of the military alliance.

“If it is proven to be a deliberate attack on NATO-critical infrastructure, then this will be, of course, serious, but it will also be met by a united and determined response from NATO.”

Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said “external marks” had been found on the seabed beside the damaged pipeline and that it was reviewing the movements of vessels in the area at the time of the rupture.

“We are now focusing on the technical investigation of the pipe damage site and examining the seabed at the scene,” bureau chief Robin Lardot told reporters on Wednesday.

Risto Lohi, the bureau’s chief investigator, told a news conference that anchor damage had not been ruled out, adding: “At the moment it looks like the damage was caused by mechanical force, not an explosion.”