Nord Stream 1 likely to stop leaking gas on Monday, operator says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Gas is likely to stop leaking from the damaged Nord Stream 1 Baltic undersea pipeline on Monday, the pipeline's operator told Reuters on Thursday.

A spokesperson for Nord Stream AG said it was not possible to provide any forecasts for the pipeline's future operation until the damage had been assessed.

The company also said it would only be able to carry out such an assessment once it had been able to reach the area.

"Until there are some results from an assessment of the damage, no forecasts can be made. The damage assessment can be carried out on the spot as soon as we manage to approach the area. At the moment it is a restricted zone," a spokesperson said.

Both the multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, neither of which was in operation, suffered still-unexplained ruptures this week that have threatened to put them permanently out of use.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Kevin Liffey)