Ships warned of danger after gas from Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline leaks into Baltic Sea near Denmark  
gas leak from the Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea is causing a danger to ship traffic, marine authorities have warned.
 

Agas leak from the Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea is causing a danger to ship traffic, marine authorities have warned.

A ship in the Baltic Sea working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in 2018 (Photo: Bernd Wuestneck/DPA via AP)© Provided by The i

Ships have been warned to steer clear of a five nautical mile radius off the Danish island of Bornholm after a leak was detected on Monday evening. The cause was not immediately clear.

The German government said it was in contact with Danish authorities to find out what caused pressure in the pipeline to plummet suddenly.

Meanwhile, the operator of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which ran at reduced capacity since mid-June before stopping altogether in August, also disclosed a pressure drop.

“Tonight, the dispatchers of the Nord Stream 1 control center registered a pressure drop on both strings of the gas pipeline. The reasons are being investigated,” Nord Stream AG said in a statement on its website on Monday. It did not give further information.

German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported that the pipelines may have been damaged by targeted attacks, citing an unnamed person familiar with the German government’s assessment.

“We can’t imagine a scenario that isn’t a targeted attack,” the source said. “Everything speaks against a coincidence.”

The newspaper reported that “forensic results” cannot be expected within a short time since the seabed has to be reached.