A Norwegian company launches a drone to inspect the damaged Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Seabed footage shows bent metal and large cracks in the tube.
Underwater footage has revealed for the first time the full extent of the damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from an explosion in late September. Videos published by the Swedish newspaper Expressen show that at least 50 meters of the gas pipeline has been destroyed or buried under the seabed. The pictures taken on Monday at a depth of 80 meters show, among other things, large cracks and bent metal.
Trond Larsen, drone pilot for Norwegian company Blueye Robotics, told Expressen that only "extreme force can bend such thick metal in this way". There was also "a very large impact on the seabed" around the pipeline, added Larsen, who steered the underwater drone for the recordings.
The Danish police meanwhile said their investigations into the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Danish economic zone had confirmed that the destruction was "caused by strong explosions". The police announced that they would form a joint investigation team with the Danish secret service PET. However, it is still too early to say whether international cooperation with Sweden and Germany is possible in the investigation.
At the end of September, four leaks were discovered off the Danish island of Bornholm on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany. According to an official Danish-Swedish report, they were caused by violent explosions. The pipelines were not operating at the time of the explosions but contained gas.
