December 2018Gatwick Airport, England, UKDrone sightings at an airport
Drone sightings close the Gatwick runway
The BBC reported that the Gatwick runway was shut from just after 21:00 on Wednesday 19 December 2018, when two drones were spotted flying over the perimeter fence, and that it was still shut on 20 December after repeated sightings. About 110,000 passengers on 760 flights were due to fly on the Thursday. Incoming flights were diverted to other airports, and about 11,000 people were reported to be at the airport. Sussex Police described it as a deliberate act of disruption and said it was not terror-related. The Civil Aviation Authority considered it an extraordinary circumstance.
What it means for continuityOne runway can carry a whole airport, and a closure can last until it is judged safe to reopen. Airports, airlines and their suppliers can plan for diversions, for looking after stranded passengers and for clear, frequent updates, because the closure time cannot be predicted.
Source: BBC News, 20 December 2018
September 2022Baltic Sea, near Bornholm, DenmarkDamage to energy pipelines
Four leaks are found on the Nord Stream pipelines
Security Council Report records that between 26 and 29 September 2022 four leaks were detected in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm, in international waters within the economic zones of Denmark and Sweden. In a letter to the UN Security Council, Denmark, Germany and Sweden said their investigations established that powerful explosions had caused the damage. Denmark and Sweden later closed their investigations, and Germany’s was still continuing at the time of the October 2024 briefing. This page makes no comment on responsibility.
What it means for continuityLong energy links under the sea or across open ground are hard to watch and slow to repair. Organisations that depend on one supply route can look at what stands behind it, such as stored supply, other routes and the order in which customers or processes would be served.
Source: Security Council Report, 3 October 2024
December 2022Moore County, North Carolina, USADamage to electricity substations
Gunfire damages substations and cuts power to a county
NPR reported that a mass power outage began shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday 3 December 2022 in Moore County, after multiple power substations were damaged in what authorities described as intentional vandalism. The county was placed under a state of emergency and a night-time curfew, schools were closed on the Monday, and a sports complex was used as a shelter. Nearly 40,000 customers were still without power on the Sunday evening, and the utility said the repair needed new equipment and could take until Thursday.
What it means for continuityDamage to a few substations can switch off a whole area, and replacing specialist equipment takes days. Planning for a multi-day power loss covers backup power, shelter and care for staff and customers, and how an organisation keeps communicating while the grid is down.
Source: NPR, 4 December 2022
December 2024Gulf of Finland, between Finland and EstoniaSubsea power cable failure
Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia fails
The Guardian reported that on 25 December 2024 current on the EstLink 2 undersea cable carrying electricity from Finland to Estonia was cut at 12:26 local time, according to the grid operator Fingrid. Finland’s prime minister said the outage had not affected the country’s electricity supplies and that the authorities were investigating. A Finnish grid official said sabotage could not be ruled out. The Guardian described it as the latest in a series of incidents involving cables and energy pipelines in the Baltic Sea. The cause was not established in the report.
What it means for continuityA link between two countries can fail without warning, and the cause may take time to establish. Knowing which supplies depend on one link, and how much alternative capacity exists, helps organisations judge whether a failure will reach them.
Source: The Guardian (AFP), 25 December 2024
