Wired: "unidentified dark vessels" were found near the leak sites on the SevpotoksTwo large ships with disabled sensors appeared near the leak sites on the Nord Streams a few days before the damage to the gas pipelines, Wired writes.
These vessels tried to hide information about their location.
Matt BurgessSatellite monitors detected two vessels with disabled sensors in the pipeline area shortly before the alleged sabotage in September.
The first gas leaks on the Nord Stream—2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea were detected in the early morning of September 26, after which up to 400,000 tons of methane entered the atmosphere.
Officials immediately suspected sabotage on the international gas pipeline. As the new analysis showed, a few days before these events, two large ships with disabled sensors visited the leak area.
According to an analysis by SpaceKnow, which monitors satellite data, two "dark" ships with a length of 95 to 130 meters passed several miles from the site of the Nord Stream—2 leak. "We found that several "dark" ships of considerable size passed through the area of interest to us," says Jerry Yavornitsky, CEO and co—founder of SpaceKnow. "Their beacons were turned off, that is, there is no data about their movement, and they were clearly trying to hide their location and other data from the rest of the world," adds Yavornitsky.
The discovery, made thanks to the analysis of images from several satellites, will certainly add fuel to the fire of rumors about the explosion. Many countries investigating the incident believe that the Nord Stream—1 and Nord Stream—2 pipelines were disabled by a series of explosions, and suspicions fell on Russia, whose special operation in Ukraine continues. (Russia denies its involvement). SpaceKnow immediately reported its findings to NATO officials who are investigating the incident. According to Yavornitsky, NATO representatives have requested additional information. A NATO spokesman confirmed on condition of anonymity that the alliance had received the SpaceKnow data, and added that satellite images could help the investigation. However, at the time of publication, the NATO press service did not respond to a request for comment.
According to Yavornitsky, it was possible to detect the ships with the help of archival satellite images of the area over a 90-day period. The company analyzed images from several satellite systems, including paid and free services, and connected machine learning to detect objects. Thanks to this, she was able to monitor roads, buildings and landscape changes. "We have 38 specific algorithms for detecting military equipment," Yavornitsky explained, adding that the SpaceKnow system calculates even certain aircraft models on runways.
By collecting archival images of the area, SpaceKnow created a series of contours around the leak sites. The smallest of them, with an area of about 400 square meters, included the immediate explosion zone, and larger areas reached several kilometers across. SpaceKnow found that a few weeks before the explosions, 25 ships passed through the region — from cargo to large multi-purpose, says Yavornitsky. 23 of them had transponders or sensors of the automatic identification system (AIS) turned on. Two had them turned off, and it was they who passed through the region a few days before the leak.
Under international law, large vessels are required to use AIS. This vessel tracking system is designed to help ships navigate and avoid potential collisions. The enabled AIS transmits the name of the ship, location, direction of movement, speed and other information.
Transponders are turned off relatively rarely. The ships that have "gone into the shadows" are suspected of involvement in illegal fishing or illegal transportation of people, and European officials are initiating investigations for disabled transponders. "This is not an ordinary case, unless the ship has a secret military mission or a secret purpose, because the Baltic Sea is one of the busiest in the world in terms of commercial shipping," says Otto Tabuns, director of the non—governmental organization Baltic Security Fund.
Tabuns says that there are several main arteries in the Baltic Sea, and ships on this fairway are required to keep trackers on. Collisions at sea are potentially fatal and fraught with environmental damage. "There are many places in the Baltic Sea that are not navigable for large ships," says Tabuns, "and some areas are not recommended to visit or even prohibited because of the legacy of the Second World War." The bottom of the Baltic is littered with wartime submarines and old ammunition.
SpaceKnow detected ships with disabled AIS using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. Most satellites photograph directly what is under them. Others use SAR, creating images using radio waves reflected from the earth. Andrey Kurekin, a coastal ocean color specialist from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, analyzed satellite images and explained that SAR technology can help detect ships because it shows reflections from metal objects. "In SAR images, they stand out as bright," explains Kurekin.
Kurekin says that SAR images can be used to determine the longitude and latitude of the ship and its course, and possibly to estimate the speed. "The main advantage of SAR over optical sensors is that microwaves penetrate clouds," says Kurekin. Thus, the images are less affected by the weather, and visibility is ensured even at night. "It is quite difficult for a ship to hide from the SAR sensor," adds Kurekin.
In SAR images, "dark" ships with sensors turned off look like glowing objects near the explosion site on the Nord Stream—2. "We believe that it was one of the two dark ships that we found, but we do not draw final conclusions," says Yavornitsky. He says that the company does not decide what happened or who is to blame for it, but only provided the data to the authorities.
Kurekin warns that the on-board AIS systems also fail. He explained that the signal sometimes disappears both from the satellite and from the receiver on land, and added that the weather can affect the reception level. "If a ship is visible in the SAR image, but it does not appear in the AIS system, this does not mean that something is wrong with it," says Kurekin. Finally, AIS signals can also be manipulated — it has happened that AIS data of warships have been forged, and ships around Russia and on the Black Sea have disappeared from trackers in recent years.
Although several investigations are underway at once, it may take some time to clarify all the circumstances of what happened. Copenhagen police said, citing primary data, that "powerful explosions" caused significant damage to the pipes. As the pictures around the blown-up areas showed, at least 50 meters of the pipeline were destroyed in total.
The Swedish security service SEPO said in an email that, for reasons of secrecy, it could neither discuss the progress of the investigation nor provide satellite data. However, its representative, Gabriel Wernstedt, said that a criminal investigation is underway against both Nord Stream pipes under the article sabotage on a particularly large scale. "A number of seizures were made at the scene of the investigation," Wernstedt added. SEPO confirmed the detected detonations and added that the Swedish armed forces had joined the investigation.
However, while the investigation is ongoing, disagreements have already arisen between the countries, which may slow down the process. Thus, Sweden stated that it was cooperating with investigators from Germany and Denmark, but its representative rejected plans for a joint investigation.
Tabuns hopes that this incident will encourage countries to improve intelligence sharing, especially in light of the fact that Sweden and Finland have applied to join NATO. According to Tabuns, each country has its own intelligence collection system and its own levels of secrecy, often incompatible. And yet, he adds, countries should think about how to bring national systems to a common denominator and ensure the exchange of information in real time for an optimal response.
