The Swedish Coast Guard has scheduled a briefing for this Thursday to address the ongoing gas leak incidents in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines. Reports from Swedish television indicate that the total number of detected leaks in these pipelines has risen to four, adding to the complexity of the situation and prompting a coordinated response from regional authorities.
A separate update notes that another gas leak was identified in the Baltic Sea region near Istanbul, and the Coast Guard has acknowledged this finding. The accumulation of four leaks across the Nord Stream system has been corroborated by the investigative team involved in monitoring the pipelines, who described the development during a livestreamed briefing to officials and media outlets.
The leaks have affected areas within Danish territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, with two incidents reported near Danish jurisdictions and two within the broader Danish maritime zone relative to Sweden. The distribution of leaks across these maritime areas has shaped the operational focus of search and assessment teams as they work to determine the extent of damage and potential environmental impact.
The investigation into the incidents has been assumed by a national security and intelligence unit, and officials have cautioned that the possibility of deliberate sabotage cannot be discounted. Authorities have noted early indications suggesting the involvement of external actors, though no definitive conclusions have been announced as investigations continue to unfold.
During a recent parliamentary session, officials from Denmark, Poland, the United States, and Norway voiced concerns about the potential for sabotage to be the cause of the pipeline breaches. Swedish seismologists have provided corroborating data, reporting seismic activity in the region in the hours leading up to the formal confirmation of the leaks, which has fueled ongoing analyses regarding the sequence of events and the pressures exerted on the pipeline system.
Nord Stream AG, the operator responsible for the Nord Stream network, stated that damage to the pipelines occurred late on Monday, describing the situation as unprecedented. Following a notable loss of pressure in Nord Stream 1 and a leak in Nord Stream 2, official statements have emphasized that the precise causes remain unknown, with investigators pursuing all plausible scenarios as part of a comprehensive inquiry.