An employee operating a valve at a compression station of the Balticconnector marine gas pipeline in Inga (Inkoo), Finland in 2019. Finnish President said on October 10, 2023 that a leak leading to the shutdown of a natural gas pipeline from Estonia to Finland this weekend was probably caused by external activity. MIKKO STIG / LEHTIKUVA / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.
HELSINKI, Finland — A subsea gas pipeline as well as telecommunications cable joining Finland to Estonia under the Baltic Sea have been damaged in what may have been a orchestrated act, government said on Tuesday, October 10.
“Damage to an undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia appears to have been caused by “external activity,” said Finnish officials, Tuesday, 10 October.
The Baltic-connector pipes were closed down on a Sunday over worries that gas was emitting from a hole in the pipe, which stretches over a radius of 77 kilometer (252624.68 feet) . The repairs are likely to take longer period going into months or more according to Gasgrid who is a Finnish operator.
“It is likely that damage to both the gas pipeline and the communication cable is the result of outside activity. The cause of the damage is not yet clear, the investigation continues in cooperation between Finland and Estonia,” said Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in a statement on Tuesday.
The Finnish government confirmed the incident saying that there was damage to both the gas pipeline as well as the telecommunications cables linking the two NATO nations.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo fell short of referring to leak as sabotage. However, he simply said that the damage could not be as a result of routine operations.
“According to a preliminary assessment, the observed damage could not have occurred as a result of normal use of the pipe or pressure fluctuations. It is likely that the damage is the result of external activity,” said Orpo.
“Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation was leading an investigation into the leak, adding that the leak occurred in Finland’s economic zone,” said Orpo.
The damages are reported hardly a year since a similar incident occurred between Germany and Russia where Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic sea were damaged after explosions took place, what is believed to be a deliberate sabotage. The instance remains contentious.
“Finland is well prepared.” “Protecting critical infrastructure is already a very important issue with the change in the security environment, and attention has been paid to it. In the background, among other things, a wide network of actors has been built to secure critical infrastructure,” said Orpo.
“The damage to the underwater infrastructure has been taken seriously and the causes have been under investigation since Sunday,” said Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in a statement earlier.
The president confirmed that he was communicating to allies as well as partners, such as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to have the matter solved.
NATO Secretary-General confirmed the on going communication between Finland and his office. He admitted to have spoken to Fin President “on damage to undersea infrastructure,” on his X account.
“The pipeline incident was likely to be put on the agenda for a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday,” added the Sec-Gen.
Estonia’s Navy confirmed that the investigations are led by Finns, though it is a joint operation between the two countries.
Edited by Judy J. Rotich and Newsdesk Manager
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