Nord Stream-2 still on course
Departure of Russian vessel Fortuna from German pipe-laying site indicates project still progressing despite resistance from the US.
Russian pipe-laying vessel, Fortuna, has left the Nord Stream-2 Baltic construction-site, reports Reuters today, indicating the 2.6-km pipeline stretch in German waters may have been completed. Data from Refinitiv Eikon shows Fortuna is now steaming for the German port of Wismar.
The 9.5-billion euro pipeline will pump natural gas from Russian fields to Europe, bypassing Ukraine, and work has been suspended for 12-months due to the risk of sanctions from the US. Tension between the US and Russia has risen to Cold War levels and the pipeline has become a flashpoint in global relations.
Gazprom, the consortium building the line, still has more than 100-km left of pipe to lay and the Fortuna is scheduled to continue laying pipe in Danish waters next month. Gazprom’s partners in the venture include Germany’s Uniper, BASF’s Wintershall Dea, Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell, and Austria’s OMV and Engie.
