Nord Stream possibly lost forever, say German goverment

German authorities suggest that both lines of the Nord Stream gas pipeline and one of the two lines of Nord Stream-2 may be rendered unusable forever, German daily newspaper Tagesspiegel reported.

The New Voice of Ukraine reports citing the newspaper's sources that if the damaged lines are not repaired swiftly, the pipeline can be destroyed by a large amount of salt water, which will cause corrosion.

Only one line of the Nord Stream-2 pipeline remains intact.

In response to the accident, the German Federal Police is strengthening control over German sovereign waters. Also, German states will step up the protection of the coastal areas of the North and Baltic Seas.

The European Commission, German law enforcement agencies, and the German Federal Intelligence Service have assumed that the pipeline damages are a deliberate act of sabotage.

Due to the complexity of the attack, experts believe that it could only be carried out by a state actor, the newspaper writes.

According to one version, divers could have planted explosives in both lines of Nord Stream 1 and one of the two lines of Nord Stream-2, which is not yet operational.

Tagesspiegel notes that the isolated explosions indicate that the leak is huge and the rate of pressure drop in the pipeline is correspondingly high.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned of the possibility of further attacks on critical energy infrastructure.

Following the decompression of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream-2, which was reported on September 26, gas pressure plummeted along both lines of Nord Stream-1.

Nord Stream AG said that the simultaneous destruction of three gas lines in the Baltic Sea is unprecedented and it is not yet possible to estimate the timing of the restoration of the gas transport infrastructure.

Two underwater explosions that occurred on the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 pipelines were confirmed on September 27.

According to the German newspaper Spiegel, citing sources in the German government, a few weeks ago the US intelligence services had warned Germany about possible attacks on gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

The Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline was completed in 2021 and filled with technical gas, but it did not receive certification before the full-scale invasion, and thus was never operational.

The Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline was stopped for maintenance at the end of August and did not resume operation, due to Russian interference.