New Underwater Cultural Heritage Objects Found in the Gulf of Finland During Nord Stream 2’S Seabed Surveys

New Underwater Cultural Heritage Objects Found in the Gulf of Finland During Nord Stream 2’s Seabed Surveys

Nord Stream 2 AG | Jul-17

Background Paper: New Underwater Cultural Heritage Objects Found in the Gulf of Finland

New underwater cultural heritage objects found in the Gulf of Finland during Nord Stream 2’s seabed surveys

> Four previously unknown cultural heritage objects found within the pipeline’s impact area > An almost intact airplane wreck found more than 1 km away from the planned route

Several previously unknown underwater cultural heritage objects have been identified in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). These were found during seabed surveys carried out along the planned pipeline route of Nord Stream 2, a pipeline system that will run across the Baltic Sea. The seabed surveys in Finnish waters were initiated at the end of 2015, based on a permit granted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. They were conducted by the Swedish survey company Marin Mätteknik (MMT) and UK based company Fugro. The findings have been examined by Finnish experts.

1. Four new findings within the pipeline’s impact area

Altogether, 29 objects were inspected within 250 m distance from the two planned pipelines. Based on detailed inspections, four of these were assessed to be either underwater cultural heritage objects or historical objects from World War II:

> an approximately 25-metre-long, 8-metre-wide wooden cannon barge, probably from the late 18th or early 19th century. It contains at least 50 to 60 cannons that are likely to have been transported as cargo. > a 23-metre-long and 6-metre-wide wooden merchantman from the 18th century. > sections of the “Walross” anti-submarine net (barrage) from the Second World War. > a badly damaged steel-hulled cargo ship, possibly a seagoing barge fitted with lifting cranes. The remnants of this approximately 46-metre-long and 14-metre wide vessel are widely spread across the seabed.

2. World War II light bomber found outside the impact area

A rarer find was a largely intact wreck – a light bomber from World War II – located more than 1 kilometre away from the planned pipeline route. The plane is an American manufactured Douglas A-20G Havoc light bomber with two engines. It is approximately 14 metres long and has a wingspan of 18 metres. The wreck is located in the western Gulf of Finland, at a water depth of over 100 metres.

The plane’s nose and part of the cockpit is buried in soft sediment. The propellers of both engines are partly visible, protruding from the seabed.

The wreckage was found by MMT in early 2016. Nord Stream 2 then submitted information about it to the Finnish National Board of Antiquities (FNBA). The wreckage has since been examined by marine archeology experts from the Finnish company ARK-sukellus and from the

Background Paper: New Underwater Cultural Heritage Objects Found in the Gulf of Finland

Finnish Aviation Museum. Detailed investigations have not been performed since mid-2016, as the object is located outside the pipeline’s impact area. Based on Nord Stream 2’s assessments, the planned construction activities will have no impact on the wreckage. The plane or bombs, if present, do not pose any risk to the pipeline during its construction and operational phase.

3. Survey data provided to the responsible national authorities

Cultural heritage objects more than a century old are protected by law in the countries around the Baltic Sea. The relevant authorities in each country may, however, decide that more recent wrecks or wreckages (such as aircrafts or ships from World War I or World War II) also need to be protected.

According to Finnish legislation, all survey data gathered during seabed studies must be submitted to the permit authority. Data related to the aforementioned underwater cultural heritage objects have therefore been filed to the FNBA. Coordinates of the found light bomber wreckage have been agreed to be kept confidential.

All objects within the pipeline’s impact area (within 250 metres of the planned pipeline route in the Finnish EEZ) are included in the national Environmental Impact Assessment report (EIA report). Objects outside of the impact area are not included in the EIA.

It became possible to release information about the found wreckage once the EIA was put on public display in April 2017. The release of the general information relating to the light bomber had been discussed and agreed with the FNBA and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment ahead of the publication. The Finnish Aviation Museum has been provided with the information on the plane wreckage.

4. Targets to be monitored and potential impacts minimised during construction

The pipeline’s planned installation corridor, within which the pipeline will be laid on the seabed, is 15 metres wide. A safety corridor extends approximately 27 metres on both sides of the installation corridor, within which munitions that have the potential to impact the pipeline during the operational phase will be cleared.

Nord Stream 2 implements strict safety measures to ensure that its project activities will not cause any harmful impacts to cultural heritage objects. During construction, an exclusion zone will be established around each object found within the impact area. Objects will be surveyed before and after construction to confirm that no impact has occurred. Furthermore, the use of dynamically positioned (DP) pipelay vessel will diminish potential impacts as DP vessels reduce the need for munitions clearance and thus the risk of potential impacts.

Background Paper: New Underwater Cultural Heritage Objects Found in the Gulf of Finland

Additional information about the cultural heritage objects found within the pipeline’s impact area in the Finnish EEZ and the survey methods used can be found in Nord Stream 2’s Finnish EIA report under the subheading Cultural heritage.

5. Images

Background Paper: New Underwater Cultural Heritage Objects Found in the Gulf of Finland

About Nord Stream 2 Nord Stream 2 is a planned pipeline through the Baltic Sea, which will transport natural gas over 1,200 km from the world’s largest gas reserves in Russia via the most efficient route to consumers in Europe. Nord Stream 2 will largely follow the route and design of the successful Nord Stream Pipeline. With Europe’s domestic gas production projected to halve in the next 20 years, Nord Stream 2’s twin pipeline system will help Europe to meet its future gas import needs, with the capacity to transport 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year, enough to supply 26 million European households. This secure supply of natural gas with its low CO2 emissions will also contribute to Europe’s objective to have a more climate-friendly energy mix with gas substituting for coal in power generation and providing back-up for intermittent renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power. www.nord-stream2.com

Media Contact: [email protected]