On 13 September 2022, the sailing boat Andromeda called at the harbor in Sandhamn. Port manager Peter Jörgensen was the one who then received the boat.
– They paid port fees for two guest nights, and I had to help them refuel. And they paid in cash, in euros. I reacted to that, says Peter Jörgensen.
Traces of explosives
There were several people on board the boat.
– They were more than five anyway. Mostly men aged 35-45, but also some women I think. They could speak English, but they weren’t native English speakers, so to speak.
On September 22, the Nord Stream pipelines explode. Several countries will later single out Andromeda as the main clue in the investigation, with the theory that the crew was a Ukrainian sabotage group. Traces of explosives must also be secured on board the boat.
“Kept a lot to themselves”
But in Sandhamn harbour, two weeks earlier, Peter Jörgensen had no such suspicions against the crew.
– They took care of themselves, and I drove the skipper to the shop to shop. Then I know that other boat guests reacted to the fact that they didn’t help when new boats came in and that they kept a lot to themselves, but I didn’t notice that myself.
Do you generally have more eyes and ears with you now?
– Yes, in the pre- and post-season when we have few boats here, I actually do. Not only because of this, but we live in an unsafe world.