The object that was found adjacent to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline last week has been salvaged, the Danish Energy Agency has confirmed.
The salvage, which was carried out at a water depth of 73 meters, was completed on 28 March.
According to the Danish Defense, investigations indicate that the object is an empty maritime smoke buoy which is used for visual marking and does not pose a safety risk.
A representative from Nord Stream 2 AG, the owner of the pipeline, was present during the salvage.
The Nord Stream twin pipeline system runs from Vyborg, Russia, to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany. The route crosses the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, as well as the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany.
Four gas leaks were found on the pipelines in September 2022, two in Sweden’s EEZ and two in the Danish territory. After the Norwegian and Swedish seismic institutes had confirmed that underwater blasts preceded the leaks, European authorities said they suspected that the incident could be the result of “deliberate actions” .
On 23 March, the Danish Energy Agency reported that a cylindrical object about 40 cm tall and 10 cm in diameter was found near the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.