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Posts Tagged ‘pipelines’

Does the latest Washington Post/Der Spiegel report help us better understand the Nord Stream sabotage operation?

Posted in accidents, pipelines, tagged , , , , , on November 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

No, because it provides no evidence in support of either of the two prominent Nord Stream sabotage theories: (1) the Seymour Hersh account and (2) the rental yacht narrative.

When the findings from important investigations are delayed, information leaks serve to control the narrative and satisfy political or economic objectives. Why are these intelligence organizations so eager to assign blame within the Ukrainian government? Why are the actual findings of the investigations not being released? Perhaps the WP and Spiegel reporters can answer those questions.

Former secret service agent Roman Chervinskyi in court in Kyiv in April; photo: Nikita Galka

According to the joint research by DER SPIEGEL and The Washington Post, Chervinskyi’s name is circulating both in Ukrainian and international security circles in connection with the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. The former agent allegedly coordinated the attack and also provided support for the specialist unit behind the sabotage operation.

Cautionary note:

People in Western security circles say that the Ukrainian security apparatus is plagued with rivalries and infighting, and that information obtained from sources there must be handled with caution.

both quotes from Der Spiegel

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One year ago tomorrow the Nord Stream pipelines were sabotaged

Posted in climate, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Not only have no official findings been released, but there has been little new speculation since our June 2023 update. Given the political stakes, it is increasingly unlikely that the responsible parties will be identified.

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Seymour Hersh: “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline”

Posted in energy policy, Norway, pipelines, Russia, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 8, 2023| 1 Comment »

I’m posting this link without comment.

Last June, the Navy divers, operating under the cover of a widely publicized mid-summer NATO exercise known as BALTOPS 22, planted the remotely triggered explosives that, three months later, destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines, according to a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.

Seymour Hersch

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Was the Nord Stream attack the first ever offshore pipeline sabotage?

Posted in energy policy, Gulf of Mexico, natural gas, pipelines, Russia, tagged , , , on February 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I do not recall any other such incidents.

Victoria Nuland’s glee over the Nord Stream damage (video clip below) is particularly galling to those responsible for offshore production, worker safety, and environmental protection. Does she realize that the Gulf of Mexico has more than 13,000 miles of active offshore pipeline that could be similarly targeted, and that the US has 2.6 million miles of onshore pipelines?

Whether or not the US was involved in the Nord Stream sabotage, Ms. Nuland’s schadenfreude is disturbing given the economic and security implications of the attack.

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This Nord Stream scenario is credible, but the big question is “who,” not “how”

Posted in Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, Russia, tagged , , , on November 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

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Will the Russian Nord Stream investigation be the first to be released?

Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, Russia, tagged , , , on October 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

It looks like it might be.

Nord Stream AG, or the operator of Nord Stream 1 pipeline, sent a specially equipped vessel on Thursday to investigate damage to the pipelines under the Baltic Sea.

Nord Stream AG, whose majority shareholder is Russia’s state energy giant Gazprom, said the chartered vessel arrived at the location of damage in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone. 

The vessel, bearing the Russian flag, would have specialists aboard to assess the damage within a day and investigation would take three to five days, the company said.

Nord Stream AG said it didn’t have relevant permits to conduct an investigation until now.

DW

That’s a fast investigation!

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California OCS: #law suits >>> #well starts

Posted in California, Offshore Energy - General, tagged , , , , , on October 10, 2022| Leave a Comment »

➡ Zero 2022 YTD well starts on the California OCS (per BSEE data the only well activity has been for plugging and abandonment purposes)

➡ Many law suits including these cases:

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Nord Stream pipeline investigation

Posted in accidents, natural gas, Norway, pipelines, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

The quote below is encouraging. Hopefully, the technical team will be able to function independently, and will have strong leadership. I would like to see participation by the Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway.

“There are good teams in place to handle pipeline accidents, there are emergency pipe inventories and experts for onshore and offshore,” Jens Schumann, managing director of gas pipeline grid company Gasunie Deutschland, said.

Reuters

Meanwhile the seemingly straightforward Huntington Beach pipeline spill investigation drags on one year after the incident.

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Nord Stream pipeline leaks: The plot thickens as Norwegian operators report mysterious drone sightings

Posted in accidents, Norway, Offshore Energy - General, pipelines, tagged , , , , on September 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

This notice from the Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway adds yet another twist to the Nord Stream saga:

In recent times, Ptil has received several notices/messages from operator companies on the Norwegian continental shelf about observations of unidentified drones/aircraft in the vicinity of offshore facilities. We have called for increased vigilance from all operators and shipowners on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Here is Nord Stream’s update on their investigations into the pipeline leaks:

Nord Stream AG has started mobilization of all necessary resources for a survey campaign to assess the damages in cooperation exchange with relevant local authorities. Currently, it is not possible to estimate a timeframe for restoring the gas transport infrastructure. The causes of the incident will be clarified as a result of the investigation.

Meanwhile, Swedish seismologists have reported explosions near the leaks.

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Interesting Dan Yergin interview

Posted in energy policy, tagged , , , on June 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Some quotes that I found particularly interesting in Dan Yergin’s Forbes Interview:

“We don’t have a physical shortage of natural gas in the U.S., we have a shortage of pipelines. It’s very hard to get any new major pipelines done. In fact, it’s somewhere between very hard, and impossible.”

“Some of the assumptions about how easy things would be [related to the energy transition] are turning out to not have been correct. I think there is some reassessment of ESG [Environmental, Social, and Governance investment] going on, and at the same time, many investors also want good returns. Therefore, they’re looking at the oil and gas sector in a way they weren’t looking at it a year ago.”

With regard to concerns about US government policy panic: “For instance, a ban on oil exports. First of all, if you banned product exports, it would actually send gasoline prices higher…. If limits were put on LNG exports, it would be a terrible shock to Western unity and Europe’s ability to stay the course.”

On Saudi Arabia: “I think the old relationship with the U.S. is over. China is the main, critical market for the Kingdom now….The Crown Prince has said that he wants Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund to be the biggest in the world, and it is probably on the way to being that. He sees Saudi Arabia becoming very influential in the world’s economy, not only as an oil producer, but as a financial player.”

“The likelihood that there will be new Iranian oil coming onto the market is increasingly unlikely“

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