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Norway is strengthening security at its offshore oil platforms in the North Sea after mysterious drones came within 50 meters of its platforms.
The country’s Petroleum Safety Authority said the unmanned aerial vehicles could carry out “deliberate attacks” on infrastructure or smash into helicopters transporting offshore workers to and from the platforms.
The warnings come amid claims that Russia was behind the massive gas leak in the Baltic Sea after three massive undersea explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines on Monday.
Norway is now Europe’s largest gas supplier after the Kremlin turned off the taps, destroying energy across the continent.
Equinor’s Johan Sverdrup oilfield platforms are pictured in the North Sea as Norway increases its safety
A huge area of gas bubbles over 3,000 feet wide can be seen in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden after explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines
A satellite image released by Planet Labs PBC showing the gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline off the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm, south of Dueodde, in the Baltic Sea
Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland said: “The government has decided to take measures to increase safety at infrastructure locations, land terminals and platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf.”
They have not identified a specific threat, nor have they sought help from NATO, but the country’s largest oil and gas company, Equinor, recently said it had notified authorities of sightings of drones of unknown origin in the United States. near some of its platforms.
“We urge increased vigilance, a review of emergency preparedness and incident response measures, and information sharing,” the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority said in a letter to operators.
Drones have been spotted at at least six Equinor sites, one of which is just 50 meters away from the Heidrun platform, breaching the 500 meter security perimeter.
The Scandinavian country has a huge network of pipelines connecting it to the continent, which experts have said are at risk of sabotage.
Denmark, whose territorial waters surround the area where the blasts took place, has also moved to secure its own platforms.
The announcement came after there were three unexplained gas leaks, preceded by two explosions, on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on Monday.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which Ukrainian authorities consider to be an Iran-made suicide drone Shahed-136, is seen in the sky over Odessa
Polish Prime Minister said he believed the pipelines had been sabotaged with the opening of a new pipeline between Norway and his country today (Baltic Sea is depicted as gas escaping from undersea pipes)
Weeks ago, the CIA warned that the pipes could be attacked before the blast that opened three massive cracks.
Agents sent a “strategic warning” to European allies, including Germany, last summer that the pipelines were in danger, sources told Der Spiegel last night, though they declined to say whether Russia had been identified as a culprit.
The warning was not specific and did not specify a time or location for an attack, the New York Times added.
However, the Kremlin is heavily suspected of the attack – with European officials Washington Post last night that ‘no one thinks this is anything but Russian sabotage’.
But allies currently do not have enough hard evidence to publicly blame Moscow, she added.
A major disturbance in the sea can be observed off the coast of the Danish island of Bornholm Tuesday, September 27, 2022 after a series of unusual leaks in two natural gas pipelines running from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany
Shocking images released earlier today by the Danish military from a viaduct over the stricken region showed huge swaths of the Baltic Sea near the Danish-controlled island of Bornholm churning as the gas bubbled to the surface.
Russia certainly has the capacity to carry out such an attack. It has the largest fleet of spy submarines in the world and has been updating its capabilities over the years.
The Belgorod – a nuclear-powered stealth submarine – can sabotage submarine cables and can also be used to attack a pipeline, experts and analysts said.
The site of the blast, in waters about 70 meters deep, is shallow enough for divers to reach, and Russia has direct access to the Baltic Sea from Kaliningrad.
Moscow has also invested in underwater drones that can be used to blow the pipe, which are based in Saint Petersburg, which has access to the Baltic Sea via the Gulf of Finland.
As for the motive, the explosions came on the same day that Poland, Norway and Denmark opened a new pipeline under the Baltic Sea intended to supply Central and Eastern Europe without being dependent on Russia.
As a European official said last night, it could be designed as a warning to Europe that its infrastructure is vulnerable.
A reading from a German seismograph from the Center for Georesearch on the Danish island of Bornholm shows two peaks, at 0003 and 1700 GMT, followed by a lower level ‘hiss’ the day the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Baltic gas pipelines leaked. after the other
Gas prices — which had fallen back to normal levels from historic highs earlier this year — also jumped 19 percent on Tuesday as news of the attack spread, suggesting a second motive: to shock markets and bear the cost to Europe. afloat, just as leaders were emerging on top of the energy crisis.
Of course, Moscow has denied involvement in the Nord Steam explosions. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was “extremely concerned” about the leaks that he said threatened Europe’s entire energy supply.
The company that operates the pipelines can’t say exactly how long it will take to repair them, meaning that — for now at least — Russia’s main gas pipeline to Europe runs through Ukraine, and Russia is currently threatening to shut it down over transit fees. owed to Kiev. The only other pipeline is through Turkey.