Insurers claim ‘government’ could have sabotaged Nord Stream – Kommersant — RT World News
Lloyd's of London and Ark Insurance reportedly refused to pay compensation after gas pipelines were destroyed
Insurance policies for Nord Stream gas pipelines sabotaged in 2022 do not cover destruction or damage caused by military hostilities, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Thursday, citing a lawsuit filed by two major Western companies before the High Court in London.
The reported claim by Lloyd's of London and Arch Insurance comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Nord Stream AG, the pipeline's operator, in March.
The company, 51% owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom, claimed at the time that insurers had failed to pay about 400 million euros ($438 million) for damage from pipeline explosions, according to the Financial Times. Nord Stream AG reportedly estimates that repairing the entire infrastructure and replacing lost gas reserves will cost more than 1.2 billion euros.
In response, the two insurance companies reportedly made the same claim “Loss or damage resulting directly or indirectly from, occurring through, or as a result of war.” It cannot be covered by policies. They added that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which began in February 2022, “Fulfills the terms of war or hostilities of invasion or military force.” Insurers also say the damage could have been caused “By or under the order of any government” According to Kommersant.
Commenting on the report, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that there were major concerns raised about the credibility of giant Western insurance companies. Any refusal to pay obligations adds to a series of hostilities towards Russia, according to Zakharova, including seizures of state assets and private property, as well as alleged threats to destroy civilian infrastructure.
Built to transport Russian natural gas directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream pipelines were damaged by unknown assailants in a series of explosions in September 2022. The explosions left three out of four pipelines inoperable, causing What is believed to be the largest single methane leak ever.
Shortly after the sabotage incident, Germany, Denmark and Sweden – whose economic zones the attack occurred – launched separate investigations, although no results were published. Earlier this year, Denmark and Sweden said they were closing their investigations.
Russian authorities claimed that the United States was the biggest beneficiary of this sabotage, pointing to the opposition to the pipelines that the White House had repeatedly expressed. Moscow also accused the West of obstructing the investigation.
Last year, award-winning American journalist Seymour Hersh accused Washington of being behind the bombing, although the White House denied the accusations. Many Western media later reported that Ukrainian citizens were involved in the sabotage. Kyiv denied any connection to the attack.
As a result of this sabotage, gas supplies from Russia to Germany via Nord Stream 1 were halted. Nord Stream 2 was never commissioned due to bureaucratic setbacks in the European Union.
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