Nord Stream pipeline gas bubbles to Baltic surface after mystery leaks

Coastguards monitor turbulent waters after suspected act of sabotage

Video shows Nord Stream gas leak bubbling in Baltic Sea

This handout photo released on September 27, 2022 and taken from an aircraft of the Swedish Coast Guard (Kustbevakningen) shows the release of gas emanating from a leak on a Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea, near the Danish island of Bornholm.  - Three unexplained gas leaks, preceded by two explosions, occurred on the Baltic Sea's Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on September 26, 2022.  The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines are strategic infrastructure linking Russia to Europe.  While both were not in operation, they contained gas, which the leaks sent bubbling to the surface in Sweden and Denmark's economic zones.  The pipelines have been at the centre of geopolitical tensions in recent months as Russia cut gas supplies to Europe in suspected retaliation against Western sanctions following its military intervention in Ukraine.  It could take up to two weeks before the unexplained gas leaks can be inspected, the Danish defence minister said on September 28.  (Photo by Handout  /  SWEDISH COAST GUARD  /  AFP)  /  RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO  /   SWEDISH COAST GUARD" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
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New footage of the Nord Stream gas leak shows a bubbling plume of gas erupting from the Baltic Sea after a suspected act of underwater sabotage.

The escaped gas was foaming to the Baltic surface for a third day on Wednesday after three leaks were detected on Russian-controlled pipelines in northern Europe.

A Swedish coastguard vessel built to withstand contaminated environments was monitoring a column of gas more than 950 metres in diameter at the source of one of the leaks.

The coastguard said it could make divers and underwater craft available to help establish what happened, after three apparent blasts deemed unlikely to have been a coincidence.

The Danish frigate Absalon and pollution control ship Gunnar Thorson were enforcing an exclusion zone for shipping around the part of the damage that took place in Denmark's waters.

Russia denied speculation on Wednesday that it was behind the leaks on the parallel Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, both majority-owned by Russian exporter Gazprom.

Denmark said it could be two weeks before the waters calm sufficiently to investigate further. The European Union said the damage to the pipes appeared to be deliberate.

"Pipes don't just leak catastrophically, suddenly," said Prof Joan Cordiner, an engineer at the University of Sheffield. "Typically normal leaks due to corrosion start small and build up over time. Therefore, such a sudden large leak can only have come from a sudden blow cutting the pipe."

Scientists raised concern about the large-scale leak of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas and the main component of natural gas.

The Swedish coastguard said it was not currently possible to prevent the escape of gas but that some of it was dissolving into the water and air, mitigating the environmental risks.

Updated: September 29, 2022, 5:09 AM