(MENAFN) According to Sten Ussing, Chief Engineer at consulting firm COWI, repairs to Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were harmed and rendered unusable by underwater explosions in late September, may be performed within a few months.

Using determined that there is little oxygen at a depth of 80 meters, where the pipes are positioned, the pipes won't be harmed by rust for some time. This means that "the pipe will not rust in a few weeks, as one would expect in a more oxygenated environment," he claimed, notingt that the fracture surfaces appear "very clean and almost shiny." He also mentioned, “we can expect corrosion inside the pipe to be limited as well.”

The pipe damage can be repaired by raising the pipes just slightly above the seabed, which would allow underwater welders to remove the damaged sections and replace them with new ones. Nevertheless, the engineer explained that the explosion caused a pressure surge, which could have damaged sections of the pipeline some distance from the site.

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