Update on the Nord Stream Pipeline Explosions
Update on the Nord Stream Pipeline Explosions
A developing black swan event
This developing black swan event seems to be getting worse by the hour.
The Danish armed forces have released video footage of the leaks with gas hitting the surface of the sea in a kilometre wide cauldron.
Whilst the pipes were not operational, they were full of gas, approximately two days worth for Germany at a market value of more than €800 million. Most of the financial burden of today’s events will fall firmly on Russia, as they owned the gas.
The Swedish National Seismic Network confirmed that as many as 30 of their measuring stations recorded the explosions with one of them having the strength of 2.3 on the Richter scale. This is the equivalent of more than 100 kilos of dynamite. With 4 cm of steel pipe coated with 10 cm of steel-reinforced concrete a large explosion would be required. Each section of pipe weighs 11 tonnes which increases to 25 tonnes after the concrete is poured.
The first explosion registered at 02:03 on Monday and the second at 19:04 on Monday evening. The Swedish Uppsala University said they were very certain these were explosions, this was not an earthquake or landslide.
The amount of gas hitting the surface means the damage to the pipes is huge and a combination of sea water and pressure is likely making that damage worse. Damage that will take a long time to repair, if even possible. More gas will have to be purchased from the US at ten times the price. UK gas prices jumped up 35% in a single day.
Germany’s Economic Minister announced that speculation over the reason for the leaks was forbidden, causing speculation as to why speculation had been banned.
Fortunately, Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, came to the rescue and announced that after an initial assessment, the Nord Stream gas leaks were caused by a ‘deliberate act’ and could not have occurred by accident. The Kremlin had already said the same earlier on.
Radek Sikorski, Poland’s ex-Foreign Minister, Chair of the Delegation for relations with the US and Anne Applebaum’s husband (US journalist) thanked the US for the explosions.
US deployments on nearby Bornholm island along with suspicious US naval activity in the area have been discussed online. However, with the US military being active all round the world, this is unlikely to be the smoking gun some people believe it to be.
With the two separate incidents happening approximately 75 kilometres apart, this was no accident. Speculation as to who blew up the pipes is rife with Russia, the US and Britain up front with Ukraine closely following behind. If this was backed by the US, is this what a dying empire looks like, lashing out at anyone in an attempt to survive?
Timing is also of interest…why now? Only yesterday, demonstrations were popping up all around Germany demanding an end to sanctions on Russia and the reopening of the pipelines.
Further to my earlier post where Biden said the US would bring an end to Nord Stream 2, another video has emerged of Victoria Nuland saying similar.
Whoever blew up the pipelines, at 70-80 metres below the surface, did they use a drone submarine such as this one developed by Boeing? In July this year, the US integrated a payload delivery system to its unmanned undersea vehicle.
And whoever blew up the pipelines has set a new precedent - international waters are no longer safe. US or British gas, oil or telecoms lines could all be attacked, either in retaliation or as part of the original plot.
We will probably find out who sabotaged Nord Stream in a few generations or so but right now, in the present, this could be the black swan event that sparks something huge.
All the players have groups that are pushing war for various reasons. Some in the US hate Russia no matter what year it is, they stay up at night planning how to destroy them. The same for Russia. Putin is really a moderate. If he's gone we'll get to see what a hard liner looks like.
We have absolutely the worst group of world leaders ever to assemble at one time. They are far worse than leaders of the pre WW 1 era. There is not one peace maker.
Anyone nostalgic for old days when all there was to complain about were mean tweets? 😣