BERLIN, March 8. /TASS/. Germany’s Office of the Federal Prosecutor on January 18 and 20 ordered the search of a ship that could have been involved in the explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 undersea natural gas pipelines, a spokeswoman for the Karlsruhe-based agency told TASS on Wednesday.

"There is a suspicion that the ship in question could have been used to transport explosive devices that detonated on September 26, 2022 at the gas pipelines "Nord Stream 1" and "Nord Stream 2" in the Baltic Sea," she said. "The evaluation of the seized traces and objects is ongoing. The identity of the perpetrators and their motives are the subject of ongoing investigations. Reliable statements on this, especially on the question of state control, cannot be made at this time."

The ship that could have been involved in the sabotaging of the Nord Stream pipelines was rented from a German company, but there’s no suspicion against its employees, the spokeswoman said.

"No further information can be given at this time," she said.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing US officials, that the latest intelligence data suggest a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind the sabotaging of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. The US government wasn’t aware of the operation, the report said.

The German news outlet Zeit issued a report that said German investigators had identified the ship that was used by the saboteurs. The company that rented it was allegedly owned by Ukrainian nationals and was registered in Poland.