{"id":32306,"date":"2023-11-05T14:29:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T13:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/?p=32306"},"modified":"2024-09-09T10:24:46","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T08:24:46","slug":"east-sea-pipeline-gas-leak-concerted-act-of-russian-chinese-sabotage-or-simply-a-maritime-mishap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/ostsee-pipeline-gasleck-konzertierter-russisch-chinesischer-sabotageakt-oder-einfach-nur-seemaennisches-missgeschick\/","title":{"rendered":"Balticconnector gas leak: sabotage - or bad luck?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A concerted act of Russian-Chinese sabotage? Or simply a maritime mishap?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally an official sign from Finland! We have taken some time in the editorial office to gather information from open sources and have waited until the overall picture has become clearer. It's about the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline and two communication cables on the Baltic seabed at various points between Estonia and Finland, which was discovered on 8 October 2023.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Damaged area on the Balticconnector pipeline. Photo: NBI Finland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What
\n<\/strong>The Balticconnector gas pipeline runs from Paldiski 30 kilometres west of Tallinn northwards to the Finnish LNG terminal in Inkoo 40 kilometres west of Helsinki and forms a bridge between the pipeline systems coming from Russia in northern Estonia and southern Finland. It is significantly smaller than Nord Stream.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Damaged area on the Balticconnector pipeline. Photo: NBI Finland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finland's energy dependency on this gas connection is stated to be around 5% and its failure is therefore not considered to be a threat. Initial investigations of the damaged areas revealed indications of external and mechanical causes. However, it will not be possible to carry out repairs until 2024.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Where
\n<\/strong>The two damaged underwater communication cables are located some distance from the gas pipeline:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Overall picture of the affected supply lines. Graphic: ERR Poland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"E-finest\" runs about 20 nautical miles further east, fairly directly north from Tallinn to Helsinki. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The \"EE-S1\" data cable to Sweden initially runs westwards from Tallinn in the Estonian coastal zone and then jumps from the island of Hijumaa directly westwards towards Stockholm. It shows a damaged area about 80 nautical miles west-southwest of the gas pipeline rupture - and thus about 60 nautical miles from Stockholm.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Transmission faults were detected on the former as early as 8 October, but only a few days later on the Swedish-Estonian fibre optic cable, because it was actually still providing its services, but to a significantly reduced extent, so that in the end a cable break had to be assumed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Both cables could be restored, according to the operators, but this will also take three to six months.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Who
\n<\/strong>Initial correlations of time and space with the ship movements on the digital maps of the Gulf of Finland pointed to two vehicles:<\/span><\/p>\n

- the Russian icebreaking, nuclear-powered container\/special cargo ship \"Sevmorput\" and<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

- the Chinese container ship \"NewNew Polar Bear\", registered in Hong Kong.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Nuclear-powered Russian special cargo ship \"Sevmorput\". Photo: Michael Nitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 260 metre long and 62,000 tonne displacement \"Sevmorput\" is one of the last remaining nuclear cargo ships. It was built in Kerch, Crimea, in the mid-1980s and has reinforced hulls and an icebreaker stem. Her name says it all and is an abbreviation of the Russian name for the \"Northern Sea Route\" (Severnyj morskoj put) <\/span><\/span>through the Arctic, for whose navigability it is apparently being used again now. When asked by the Finnish investigating authorities, Atomflot, the operator, immediately denied the involvement of the Russian ship in possible incidents in the Gulf of Finland.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Container feeder \"NewNew Polar Bear\", China. Photo: Finnish Border Guard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The container ship \"NewNew Polar Bear\" was built in 2004\/05 at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg for the German company Hansa Hamburg Shipping International as the second of a batch of four Eilbek-class container feeders. With 1620 TEU (20\" container equivalent), 170 metres in length and a displacement of 24,000 tonnes, they were intended to handle onward distribution to and from the large container terminals. These ships have the highest Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A-Super. The \"Reinbek\", as it was originally called, has an eventful owner and name history and only ended up with the Chinese company Hainan Xin Xin Yang Shipping in June of this year. In September, she was already sailing westwards along the Arctic North Route as the \"NewNew Polar Bear\".<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When
\n<\/strong>The AIS data shows both ships over the pipeline at the time of the damage between 01:12 and 01:20 and a little later over the eastern communication cable. During this time frame, a very weak quake was recorded by a seismographic station in Finland. Shortly afterwards, the loss of pressure was registered on land and the pipeline had to be shut down at 02:00.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is the video of the aggregated AIS data northwest of Tallinn on the Ing\u00e5\/Finland - Paldiski\/Estonia route.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n