A series of highly unusual leaks sent shock waves through Europe on Tuesday. Now most people are pointing to deliberate sabotage: an attack on the submarine gas pipelines that supply Europe with gas from Russia. But what does it take to blow holes in a gas pipeline like Nord Stream? We currently have few answers as to how the leaks occurred. Explosives expert Per Nergaard tells news that it is basically not difficult to blow up an object underwater. It is more demanding to prepare the actual blasting, according to the expert. Nergaard will explain why. But first we will take a deep dive into the Baltic Sea to take a closer look at Nord Stream – these huge pipelines that the world’s eyes are on. Explosives expert Nergaard, who is also assistant general secretary of Norwegian People’s Aid, would prefer not to speculate on what has led to the leaks. If it concerns sabotage, he believes it is only a theoretical possibility that terrorists have been behind it. – It would require good training, knowledge and resources beyond what “normal” terrorist groups have. My assessment is that the state is behind this, says Nergaard. – What does it take to blow such holes in the gas pipelines? How much work does it require? – Basically, it is not difficult to blow up an object under water. What is most demanding is the process of deploying the explosive charge. This must be done using trained divers or with the help of an underwater robot, says Nergaard. Diving down to 110 meters is something that very few divers manage, as the pressure is enormous. When the links in Nord Stream 1 were connected, only 30 highly specialized divers in the world were qualified to assist in the work. – Not done by amateurs, Nergaard believes the leaks appear to be the result of a very advanced operation, regardless of water depth and current conditions. – In theory, it would be possible to destroy the cable using torpedoes from a submarine, but it does not seem that it has been used here. Likewise, this could have been done by explosive charges having been deployed earlier. Either with the help of divers or a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), and later triggered by radio signals. The expert believes that, given the dimensions of the wires, large charges of between 20 and 50 kilograms have been used. – Normally, military explosives are used, of the TNT type or others. This is not done by amateurs, says Nergaard. DEMANDING OPERATION: Per Nergaard, assistant general secretary of Norwegian People’s Aid, believes that there are few actors who are able to carry out such sabotage. Photo: Werner Anderson The owners of Nord Stream 1 are Russian Gazprom (51 percent), as well as the German companies Wintershall DEA (15.5 percent) and PEGI/E.ON (15.5 percent), Dutch NV Nederlandse Gasunie (nine percent) , as well as French Engie (nine percent). The players own the pipeline through the Swiss consortium Nord Stream AG. Nord Stream 2 is owned by Gazprom alone, which has contributed up to half of the money to get the pipeline in place. The rest of the funding has come from German Wintershall and Uniper, Dutch Shell, French Engie and Austrian OMV. Could be lost forever A gas pipeline is designed so that things like anchors and trawlers can snag on it without damaging the pipe, but the Nord Stream pipelines have to withstand much more than that. The Nord Stream pipelines underwent extensive pressure testing before the gas flowed through. The pipes are cleaned, visually checked and sent through a period of pressure that is higher than they would normally withstand in operation. Torfinn Havn is Professor II at the University of Stavanger and material consultant in the oil and gas industry. He says that the steel in Nord Stream is about the strongest there is. – I’m no blasting expert, but it will take a lot to break through this here. A round tube of this quality. It must have been some serious stuff, says Havn. CAN BE LOST: UiS professor II and materials consultant Torfinn Havn says that the pipes can suffer major damage if they are left like this for a long time. A spokesperson for Nord Stream said this week that they expect to stop the leaks on Monday. But what will happen afterwards? UiS professor Havn is an expert on corrosion, or what we call rust in good Norwegian. As the gas seeps out of the pipes, seawater will penetrate and cause the welds inside the pipes to rust in particular. – If the pipes are left for longer than half a year, I think the damage to the welds will be extensive – at least on parts of the pipe. If it remains for several years, larger parts or the entire pipeline will probably have to be replaced. According to Havn, it is possible to repair the pipelines if you are quick and have the money and will. He believes Norway is a world leader in repairing pipelines. – It will then be possible to replace one part of the pipe. The new piece can probably be welded on as it is not that deep in the area – either manually or automatically, he says.
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