MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. An accident at the Nord Stream underwater pipeline in the Baltic Sea is dangerous for seals and may lead to their demise, the press service of the Kompas foundation for the support and development of ecology initiatives told TASS on Wednesday.
"A decompression of the underwater pipeline as a man-made factor will, undoubtedly, negatively impact the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. That said, it is already clear that the repercussions of pipeline accidents are extremely dangerous for mammals and birds and may cause the deaths of a large number of seals," the statement reads.
The foundation added that the scale of the tragedy has not yet been determined but it is apparently extensive which is why it is highly important to hear opinions of international environmental organizations. The Kompas foundation sent its suggestions to Greenpeace International.
German Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke thinks that so far the damage to the Nord Stream pipelines has not yet had highly negative consequences for the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. "According to current information we think that this (the consequences of the damage - TASS) has not spread much into the marine environment," she told the Zeit weekly on Wednesday.
The leaks at Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 were discovered over several hours. The Danish Energy Agency reported that a large amount of gas leaked into the sea. Planes and vessels are ordered to keep at least five nautical miles away from the incident site. Later, Swedish seismologists reported that on Monday, they registered two explosions along the routes of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines.