Late last year, the Danish Maritime Authority gave the green light to the pipe-layer Fortuna to begin work for the Nord Stream 2 project in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone.
Russia’s Akademik Cherskiy has started laying pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in Danish waters, where the Fortuna pipe-layer has been working since early February, according to project operator Nord Stream 2 AG.
The statement follows Nord Stream 2 AG’s announcement last month that after testing in the Kaliningrad Region, the Akademik Cherskiy would join the laying of Nord Stream 2 pipes in Danish waters.
Work on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline.
The Russian ship Fortuna is already working on the pipelaying as it completes construction of the second branch of the gas pipeline (Line B) in Denmark. The Akademik Cherskiy will deal with the pipelaying of the first branch of Nord Stream 2 (Line A).
The pipeline aims to carry Russian natural gas to Germany across the Baltic Sea. It consists of two 1,230-kilometre (764-mile) lines with a combined capacity of 55 billion cubic metres of gas a year. The project’s operator estimated earlier this year that only 148 kilometres (92 miles) were still to be completed.
The project is being financed by the Russian energy giant Gazprom, German energy companies Uniper and Wintershall, as well as Austria’s OMV, France’s Engie, and the Anglo-Dutch oil concern Shell.
US Drive to Undermine Nord Stream 2
Washington and some of its European allies have repeatedly tried to torpedo the project, with US lawmakers already slapping two rounds of sanctions on Nord Stream 2, which prompted several European contractors, insurers, and certification firms to drop out.
Pipe-laying vessel Fortuna leaves the port of Wismar to work on Nord Stream 2 construction
The standpoint is echoed by German officials who have consistently defended Nord Stream 2 as a completely economic endeavour in spite of US pressure in the form of sanctions.
Last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel again stepped out in defence of Nord Stream 2 and of Russian gas supplies in general, saying she was perfectly aware that the conflict surrounding the pipeline was part of a broader “political struggle”. In 2020, she pledged the project would be completed despite the threat of US sanctions.
Earlier this year, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stressed that the US should not be able to “dictate” Germany’s energy policy, and suggested that Washington’s interest was about selling its own “expensive and poorer quality” LNG.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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