Baisieux
Related Articles
LONDON (ICIS) – A second Russian pipelayer began laying the Nord Stream 2 pipelines on Tuesday, project promoters said. The direct pipeline between Russia and Germany is 95% built, with 121 km to cover in Danish and German waters.
The project was initially due to end at the end of 2019, but American sanctions forced the Swiss and Italian pipelayers initially contracted to withdraw from the project.
Pipelay in Danish Exclusive Economic Zone restarted with Russian pipelayer Fortuna
in the first trimester and Akademik Chersky since Tuesday, and is expected to last until the end of September, according to the
Danish Maritime Authority .
There were around 160 km of pipeline still to be built before pipeline laying resumed in Denmark, meaning Fortuna built around 39 km in less than three months and in freezing conditions, as indicated by the presence of breezes. – ice around the construction site. Pipelay should accelerate with the second pipelayer.
Fortuna and Akademik Chersky can each lay about 1.5 km of pipe per day under optimal weather conditions, according to CIHI. This means they could complete the last 121 kilometers in about 40 days.
The absence of an icebreaker near the two pipelayers on Tuesday suggests that weather conditions have improved, which is also likely to speed up construction of the final stretch.
The head of the energy committee of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), Pavel Zavalny, said earlier in April that the project would be completed by the summer. Germany could start receiving gas via the pipeline during the same period, Zavalny quoted in Russian media at a Russian-German parliamentary meeting.
At around the same time, Gazprom’s board chairman Viktor Zubkov and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told Russian media that the pipeline would be completed this year.
