In response to explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines amid allegations of Russian sabotage, Norway is stepping up security on its offshore North Sea oil rigs.
Fears of Russian sabotage on what is now the largest source of gas to Europe after the Kremlin shut off its taps have led to the sighting of drones close to Norway’s installations.
“The government has decided to put measures in place to improve security at infrastructure sites, land terminals, and platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf,” stated energy minister Terje Aasland.
The biggest oil and gas company in the nation, Equinor, recently said that it has informed authorities of sightings of drones of unknown origin flying near several of its sites, but they have not yet identified a particular danger or requested help from NATO.
In a letter to operators, Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority urged “enhanced vigilance,” “a review of emergency planning procedures and incident response,” and “information exchange.”
At least six Equinor locations have been targeted by drones, and one was discovered barely 50 meters from the company’s Heidrun platform, breaching the 500-meter security barrier.
The massive network of pipes that connect the Scandinavian nation to the continent has been deemed vulnerable to sabotage by experts.
Denmark has also taken steps to safeguard its own platforms, given its territorial seas border the region where the explosions occurred.
The declaration was made after three inexplicable gas leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on Monday, which were preceded by two explosions.
Prior to the explosions that created three enormous cracks, the CIA sent a weeks-ago warning that the pipelines would be targeted.
Sources told Der Spiegel last night that agents warned Germany and other European allies during the summer that the pipelines were under danger, but they would not clarify whether Russia was blamed for the threat.
The New York Times reported that the warning lacked specificity and failed to identify an attack’s expected date, time, or place.
The Kremlin has, however, come under intense suspicion for the strike; as European authorities told the Washington Post last night, “no one is believing this is anything other than Russian sabotage.”
However, they said, there isn’t yet enough concrete proof for allies to hold Moscow accountable.
There is no doubt that Russia is capable of carrying out such an assault. It has spent years improving its capabilities and has the biggest fleet of espionage submarines in the world.
Experts and analysts indicated that the nuclear-powered stealth sub The Belgorod is capable of sabotaging underwater cables and might even be used to attack a conduit.
The explosions are in shallow water, just 230 feet deep, making it possible for divers to reach them, and Kaliningrad provides Russia with direct access to the Baltic Sea.
Moscow has also invested money on underwater drones headquartered in St. Petersburg, which has access to the Baltic Sea through the Gulf of Finland and might be used to blow the pipe.
Regarding the cause of the explosions, Poland, Norway, and Denmark launched a new pipe under the Baltic Sea on the same day that it was intended to serve central and eastern Europe independently of Russia.
It may be intended as a reminder to Europe that its infrastructure is fragile, a European official said yesterday night.
As news of the attack spread late Tuesday, gas prices, which had been returning to normal levels after reaching historic highs earlier in the year, also shot up 19%, indicating a second motive: to frighten markets and raise prices for Europe just as leaders were beginning to address the energy crisis.
Naturally, Moscow has denied having anything to do with the explosions at Nord Steam. Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, expressed considerable alarm over the leaks, which he said posed a danger to the whole energy supply of Europe.
The primary gas pipeline connecting Russia to Europe now passes through Ukraine, and Russia is threatening to shut it down in a dispute over transit payments owing to Kyiv. The business that runs the pipelines has been unable to specify how long it will take to repair them. Only one other pipe travels across Turkey.