Balticconnector gas pipeline in Baltic Sea plans to start operating in April

The Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea will be restored by April (photo: Getty Images)

The Finnish and Estonian gas network companies have agreed to carry out repairs on the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the coming months, according to Yle.

The direct repair of the gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland is planned to start in early March. The restoration work is expected to last about a month, and the pipeline is set to be back in operation by April 22.

Materials for the repair are already prepared, and key partners and contractors have been identified and briefed.

Damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline

On the night of October 8, 2023, the Balticconnector gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged in the Baltic Sea.

In Finland, it is assumed that some state is behind the damage to the gas pipeline. It should be noted that the main line of the previous investigation is the Chinese vessel Newnew Polar Bear, but other lines of investigation have also been opened.

Later, it became known that the Finnish police had completed investigative actions at the site of the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

Finnish government minister Anders Adlercreutz later stated that the damage to the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea was not accidental. The container ship Newnew Polar Bear, which is suspected of damaging the Balticconnector, is mentioned. According to preliminary data, the vessel was dragging a dropped anchor. A six-ton anchor was found a few meters from the damage site.