Finnish officials tight-lipped on possible cause of pipeline damage

Damage to the gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was likely caused by external activity, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) said at a press conference on Tuesday evening.

However, the PM did not comment about who or what may have caused the damage, saying it was too early to speculate.

Orpo said that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has opened a probe into the incident, which also involved damage to an undersea communications data cable in a separate location.

“It is important that the case is thoroughly investigated and not to quickly jump to conclusions,” he said.

The PM also noted that he has discussed the situation with his Estonian counterpart, Kaja Kallas.

He said that the damage has not threatened the country’s energy needs, and that the damage to the data cable did not have a critical impact on Finland’s communications links.

Detective Chief Superintendent Timo Kilpeläinen, head of the NBI’s Investigation Department, stood alongside Orpo at the press conference.

He said the incident is being investigated as aggravated sabotage, but that the probe was still in its infancy.

According to Kilpeläinen, investigators aim to find out whether the pipeline was subject to sabotage, or if there were other factors at play.

He said that damage to the data cable appeared to be in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone, noting that Finnish authorities are prepared to assist an Estonian probe into that matter.

Kilpeläinen said he did not want to compare this week’s incident with the damage caused to the Nord Stream pipelines last year, but noted that the damage to the Balticconnector was so significant that a decision was made to open a preliminary probe of aggravated sabotage.

He would not comment about whether a nation state may be responsible for the damage.

“A sabotage of this calibre requires a certain amount of know-how and special equipment. It’s probably not ordinary people who were behind this,” Kilpeläinen said.

He also noted that investigators have not found indications of an explosion.

There was no seismological activity that would have indicated an explosion near the pipeline, according to the Border Guard’s Deputy Chief, Markku Hassinen, who added that there is a good deal of maritime traffic in the Gulf of Finland.