The company spotted two ‘ghost ships’ near the Nord Stream

UA US company on Saturday found two ‘ghost ships’ near Nord Stream gas pipelines that were damaged in September, in circumstances yet to be determined, amid several allegations of sabotage between the West and Russia.

magazine WiredAnalyzing the data collected by the satellite, SpaceKnow found two ships near the gas pipelines shortly before the gas leak.

“We found some ‘ghost ships.’ [do inglês ‘dark ships’], vessels of considerable size, passed through this region of interest. “They turned off their headlights, meaning there was no information about their movements, and they tried to hide their location and general information,” said Jerry Zawarnicki, CEO and founder of SpaceKnow.

According to WIRED, the ships range in length from 95 to 130 meters. Jawornicki says the ships were discovered thanks to the use of a series of algorithms that collected over 90 days of archived satellite images.

Of the 25 ships that sailed near the Nord Stream spills, SpaceNo found two without proper automatic identification, which is mandatory under international law.

Several countries, notably Sweden and Denmark, are investigating the incident at the North Sea gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. The infrastructure is at the center of diplomatic tensions between Russia and the European Union, with Moscow sharply cutting off natural gas supplies to Berlin.

Several investigations have already attributed the explosions to Russian giant Gazprom’s gas pipeline, but Russia continues to deny any involvement – instead accusing the US of sabotage.

SpaceKnow added that it provided NATO with the available images at the request of the Atlantic Alliance. NATO has not confirmed that it received the materials from the company, but a source at the company confirmed the request to WIRED.

Also read: Moscow accuses London of ‘terrorist acts’ against pipeline