Gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland damaged. Lithuania strengthens the inspections
11:52 AM EDT, October 21, 2023, updated: 3:22 AM EDT, October 23, 2023
After damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, between Estonia and Finland, Lithuania has announced it will strengthen underwater surveillance of its LNG terminal. To this end, the country has started the process of purchasing a system which will "enhance the ability to control underwater threats."
Laurynas Kaszcziunas, the head of the Parliamentary National Security and Defense Committee, announced that by the end of this year, Lithuania will be able to "monitor various unmanned underwater objects and manage these threats."
The politician also added that security systems will not only be purchased to protect the LNG terminal, but also other companies in the energy sector. According to him
In his opinion, the issue of such purchases had already been discussed earlier, but the recent incident sped up the decision-making process on this matter.
"Recurring incidents on the Baltic Sea naturally strengthen the need to increase resilience and have more tools for this purpose," said Kaszcziunas. He added that "it is not just about greater protection of individual firms or facilities, but also the entire port in Klaipeda.".
The investigation into damage to the gas pipeline is ongoing
Concerns about the safety of critical infrastructure increased a few weeks ago as a result of a leak in the Balticconnector pipeline. It is not ruled out that Russia may be behind the damage to the pipeline connecting Finland with Estonia.
During the gas pipeline failure, which was reported on Sunday, October 8, there was also damage to the telecommunications cable running through the Gulf of Finland, which is being investigated by the Estonian side. The damage is located at a depth of 197-230 feet.
Elering, the Estonian operator of the natural gas and electricity transmission system, has ensured that the failure will not have a major impact on gas supplies to Estonia. The raw material currently reaches Estonia from Latvia, where there is an underground storage, which is almost full at the moment. This is enough to supply the three Baltic countries for an extended period of time.
During underwater investigations conducted near the Balticconnector gas pipeline, a "heavy object" was found that could have damaged the pipeline running through the Gulf of Finland - reported the Finnish police, stressing that the current investigation is focusing on the role of a cargo ship sailing under the Hong Kong flag.
