- Information on sabotage on Nord Streams, which was published by Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh, provoked a wave of discussions about ensuring the safety of underwater pipelines. Is it really so easy to commit such a diversion?
- Seymour Hersh presented, at a minimum, a completely plausible version of what happened. It is important that it was confirmed by the leaders of our country. Now we clearly understand that this act of international terrorism was committed by NATO countries with the most active participation of the United States.
True, I think that even before the Hersh investigation, it was absolutely obvious to everyone that the main beneficiaries of the undermining of Nord Streams were the United States. Moreover, from the lips of American President Joe Biden, quite clear threats were made to destroy the pipeline in the Baltic Sea.
At the end of March, a Russian-Chinese resolution on an impartial international investigation of sabotage was discussed. The U.S. position was very revealing: Washington, along with its allies and satellites, did not dare to vote against and abstained. That silence really was more eloquent than any confession.
As for the technical side of undermining Nord Streams, the United States had all the necessary means and specialists for this sabotage. With proper preparation, there are no particular difficulties for carrying out such a terrorist attack.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on the explosions at Nord Streams
The organizers received the coordinates of the pipeline, chose an area without strong currents, comfortable for the work of divers-saboteurs. Before the installation of the explosive device, decompression chambers, equipment for deep-sea diving were prepared, divers who know how to handle explosives professionally were involved.
To legitimize their activity in this region and to block the water area where explosives were installed, the Americans took advantage of the Baltops exercises held in June 2022. Under their cover, combat swimmers planted explosives, which were detonated remotely in September.
It is good that during the detonation there has not yet been a fire or explosion on the surface. If this had happened, the consequences of the sabotage on Nord Streams would have been much more serious.
A lot of explosives are not required to damage the underwater pipeline. No wonder the pipeline is a priori a dangerous production facility, it itself stores a huge amount of energy. To commit sabotage on it, by and large, it is enough to violate the integrity of a separate section, and then the gas pressure in the pipe will finish everything by itself.
The terrorist attack on Nord Streams leads to two main conclusions: offshore pipelines are very vulnerable and can be covertly undermined. Any state with deep-sea equipment and divers-saboteurs is capable of this.
At the same time, sabotage always leaves traces. If desired and due diligence, it is possible to investigate it and clearly identify the perpetrators.
- The picture with the safety of pipeline systems, which you outlined, looks quite sad ...
- Well, how can I say... Sabotage on the pipeline is still a completely extraordinary event. What happened on Nord Streams was an act of state terrorism. The attack targeted a civilian object that had no military significance and was not a threat to anyone's national security.
On the part of the organizers of the sabotage, it was a demonstration of unscrupulousness, readiness to act aggressively, to cross the notorious red lines to implement political tasks, in this case - anti-Russian and anti-European.
The destruction of the SP threads is also a dangerous precedent from the point of view that the authors of the attack on the pipeline system actually make such sabotage something normal.
Logically, the injured party seems to receive a moral right to a mirror response, and everything may not stop there.
- The site of the Nord Streams explosion
- Gettyimages.ru
- © Swedish Coast Guard
I would not like to give forecasts, but as the geopolitical confrontation intensifies, a situation may arise where many of the world's underwater arteries will be in the zone of potential risk. And it's not just oil and gas pipelines. These are communication lines, Internet cables, infrastructure that is used by the military.
Be that as it may, the terrorist attack on the pipeline in the Baltic Sea cannot be justified. At the moment, it remains only to state that now we live in a new, not too predictable reality.
— Is it possible to repair Nord Streams?
— I don't see any particular technical difficulties in repairing the affected Nord Streams threads. Repair, in fact, will repeat the welding operation of the so-called "golden joint". Schematically speaking, in order to bring the joint venture in order, it is necessary to raise the ends of the destroyed pipes, cut off the excess, weld defect-free sections. This was done during construction.
— Is it possible to somehow protect pipelines from negative external factors, including sabotage?
-No pipeline is built in order to constantly protect against attacks by unfriendly states or specially trained terrorist groups, when there are obvious risks of sabotage.
Traditionally, experts proceed from the fact that peaceful human activity associated with the violation of operating standards can be dangerous.
As for hazardous production facilities, which certainly include oil and gas pipelines, the protection is built depending on the "acting damaging factors". This is a whole system of organizational and technical measures: a thick wall of pipes and special alloys (protect against the effects of excessive internal pressure. - RT), special anti-corrosion coatings, concrete lining (in this case - protection against surfacing. - RT), periodic in-line diagnostics for the presence of metal defects and welded joints.
Also, to ensure the safety of offshore pipelines, external inspections are carried out to detect washouts by currents with the formation of free spans, the so-called "freespans", at the same time suspicious objects are detected.
But it is necessary to understand that such studies are very expensive activities. Consequently, they are quite rare and are usually held no more than once a year. The cost of safety cannot be more than the profit from the operation of the pipeline. Otherwise, this infrastructure facility will be unprofitable.
Naturally, Nord Streams were also not built in order to spend huge amounts of money on additional security measures, and even more so on protection against sabotage. The joint venture is a commercial project in which Russia benefited as an exporter, and Germany and other European countries as consumers of our gas.
— Do I understand correctly that it makes no sense for operators of offshore pipelines to invest in security? If something happened to the object, is it easier to repair it?
- In principle, yes. In the absence of military and terrorist threats, it seems reasonable to organize a single regional contractor (operator) to carry out repair work. Such an organization could offer its services to all pipeline operators in a particular region, having the necessary fleet, repair facilities, emergency stock optimized for specific pipes, depths and conditions, trained personnel.
- Pipe laying at Nord Stream 2
- RIA Novosti
- © Axel Schmidt / Nord Stream 2
It makes sense to agree on all the conditions in advance. First of all, the contractor in the event of an incident or accident must immediately collect everything necessary, immediately move to the emergency area and begin repair work.
Such an organization of work seems to be the most justified if there is a risk of trouble and an understanding that it is worth preparing for them in advance. In the absence of such an operator, you will have to arrange tender procedures and lose precious time in finding a suitable company.
When the threats that we are discussing hang over the pipelines, then it is necessary to soberly assess the likelihood of new sabotage. Nord Streams can be returned to a working state, but how justified is it if the Americans or their "friends" re-lay explosives or arrange another kind of sabotage after some time? Moreover, an explosion can be arranged on the shore, at a pump-compressor station, for example, or in any other place.
- Okay. Let's imagine a situation where the exploiting states have information that unfriendly countries are ready to attack. How effective is it to involve naval forces in this case?
- I don't think the Navy will help much. After all, that's not the Navy's main job. Yes, the navy is able to scare away saboteurs, identify them, but you can't put a "cruiser" on every corner. And you will need to protect the entire route of the pipeline and the coast.
— What measure of protection do you consider the most effective, taking into account the entire threat factor?
- Digging into the ground will help to somewhat complicate the search for the pipe and make it difficult to install a charge for saboteurs. In general, pipelines buried in the sea soil are much better protected from mechanical damage. But they also have their own serious costs. They are more difficult and expensive to lay, inspect and, accordingly, repair. This will significantly increase the cost of the project, and in the case of repairs will increase its cost.
If there are really serious threats and you need to come up with something, then it makes sense to install a system of distributed sensors that, for example, by the noise of the propellers could identify all the ships located near the pipeline, determine the time of their passage, whether they made stops and where. The pipeline itself can be inspected using a light-class remote-controlled apparatus. Then the likely enemy will lose the stealth factor.
— What role can underwater vehicles, including unmanned ones, play in ensuring the safety of offshore pipelines?
"Underwater drones are certainly the future, and they can make a significant contribution to ensuring the safety of offshore pipeline systems. Moreover, they allow you to save a person from the need to risk health and life. Drones are widely in demand for laying, repair, inspection and protection of pipeline systems, construction and maintenance of oil and gas facilities. Their importance will only increase.
- Construction works on SP-2
- RIA Novosti
- © Axel Schmidt / Nord Stream 2
In the West, they have long begun to explore the depths of the sea and have achieved significant success in the development of remote-controlled or autonomous complexes for industrial purposes. Russia followed this path later. Today, our country has some outstanding products, but these are not yet products of mass production.
Nevertheless, the situation is changing for the better. I can say that now there are private enterprises offering adequate products mainly from domestic components.
After the explosions on Nord Streams, the Interdepartmental Expert Council on the Safety of Offshore Underwater Pipelines is working on this front. It includes the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Maritime Register, mining companies, our STC, and other scientific and engineering organizations.
However, from our point of view, a more powerful structure is needed, like the Soviet State Committee for Science and Technology (SCST).