October 5 , 2022 [Safety 4 Sea] – Denmark imposed a no-shipping zone in Baltic Sea after Nord Stream pipeline gas leak, while concerns over what a might a sabotage action increase.

After the gas leak on the Nord Stream, Sweden and Denmark reported three leaks near Danish island of Bornholm. As a result, Denmark established an exclusion zone taking into consideration the great danger that this situation put shipping.

More specifically, the Danish energy agency warned ships to stay clear five nautical miles from the scene of the leak, south-east of the Danish island of Bornholm.

Because of the leaks, ships could lose buoyancy if they entered the area. As Denmark’s Energy Agency Kristoffer Bottzauw, explained:

The sea surface is full of methane, which means there is an increased risk of explosions in the area.

According to the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) there were two leaks on Nord Stream 1, one in the Swedish economic zone and another in the Danish zone, were northeast of Denmark’s Bornholm.

For this reason, Sweden as well is “keeping extra watch to make sure no ship comes too close to the site.”

Fear for sabotage

After the incident, Reuters reports that Europe was investigating what Germany, Denmark and Sweden said were attacks that had caused major leaks into the Baltic Sea.

In fact, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told business leaders the leaks were due to targeted attacks on the infrastructure and Berlin now knew for sure “that they were not caused by natural occurrences or events or material fatigue.”

What is more, seismologists in Denmark and Sweden informed that they registered two powerful blasts on September 26, near the leaks. However, they explained that “the signals do not resemble signals from earthquakes. They do resemble the signals typically recorded from blasts.”

In the same wavelength, seismologists at Sweden’s Uppsala University, said the second, bigger explosion “corresponded to more than 100 kilos (kg) of dynamite”, also noting that the blasts were in the water not under the seabed.

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