Nord Stream probes find traces of explosives on sailing boat

Investigators looking into the explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines have found traces of explosives on a suspicious sailing yacht, a letter updating the UN Security Council on the probe and made available to dpa has revealed.

"Traces of subsea explosives were found in the samples taken from the boat during the investigation," read the joint letter dated Monday from the UN ambassadors from Germany, Denmark and Sweden to the UN Security Council in New York.

It also states that there is suspicion that the sailing yacht was used to transport the explosives that sabotaged the pipelines. The three representatives stressed to the UN's most powerful body that the investigation was ongoing.

"At this point it is not possible to reliably establish the identity of the perpetrators and their motives, particularly regarding the question of whether the incident was steered by a state or state actor," the letter said.

Explosions were registered near the Danish island of Bornholm on September 26, 2022. Shortly afterwards, four leaks were discovered on three of the pipelines' four lines.

Nord Stream 1 and 2 each run as an underwater double line over a distance of around 1,200 kilometres from Russia to Germany. Nord Stream 1 has supplied a significant share of the gas imported into Europe since 2011.

Neither pipeline was actually delivering gas at the time of the attack amid an energy stand-off between the European Union and Russia as a result of the Ukraine war.

In Germany, investigators have reportedly focused on a chartered sailing yacht. According to German media reports, the yacht left the north-eastern port city of Rostock, and was allegedly rented by a company based in Poland, which apparently belonged to two Ukrainians.