Russia

Russia's Rosatom Denies Its Vessel's Involvement in Balticconnector Incident

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian state nuclear company Rosatom said on Wednesday that its cargo ship, Sevmorput, had not been involved in the incident over the Balticconnector gas pipeline, with nothing unusual reported while vessel was sailing from Russia's northern port of Murmansk to the city of St. Petersburg.
Sputnik
On Tuesday, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said that the investigation into the damage done to the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which runs from Finland to Estonia under the Baltic Sea, is focused on several vessels, including the Russian Sevmorput cargo ship, located near the scene of the incident.
"State corporation Rosatom categorically rejects all allegations of the involvement of nuclear cargo ship Sevmorput in the incident with the Balticconnector pipeline," the corporation said in a statement.
On the day the pipeline was damaged, the Russian ship went from Murmansk to St. Petersburg without any stops, with no incidents reported on its way, the statement added.
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Balticconnector, a gas pipeline connecting the Finnish city of Inga and Estonia's Paldiski, was shut down early on October 8 after a sudden drop in pressure raised concerns that gas was leaking from the subsea section. Pipeline operator Gasgrid Finland said the pipeline appeared to have been damaged.
On October 11, Finnish police spokesman Mikko Simola said that some external traces had been detected on the seabed near the site where Balticconnector was damaged, adding that the Central Finland Police Department was investigating the matter together with colleagues from Estonia. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said his ministry had received photo and video footage of the damage, which suggested the pipeline had been pulled from one side and dragged. Authorities did not rule out that the pipeline was damaged by an anchor.
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