The barge Fortuna has completed three kilometres of Nord Stream 2 in German waters and could complete Line B fully within two weeks
The German regulator said the directive to lay the two kilometres in May was no longer valid, as the original construction permit from the end of May to the end of September came into force.
According to the Marinetraffic and Vesselfinder navigation portals, the barge Fortuna has laid three kilometres of pipeline in three days in Germany’s economic zone. The barge still has just under 11 kilometres to go in the German shallow waters before the work on the B pipeline is completed.
A week ago the German Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography (BSH) ordered the immediate implementation of the second permit amendment for the construction and operation of Nord Stream 2 in the German economic zone of the Baltic Sea and the completion of the 2 kilometre section in May.
“Due to the effect of lawsuits filed by environmental associations on the second permit amendment, the construction of Nord Stream 2 in the German economic zone was not possible until the end of May. It was therefore necessary to decide on the procedure for the immediate implementation of the second amendment”, – the regulator said.
BSH clarified to EADaily today that the order has been withdrawn as Fortuna can now complete Nord Stream 2 in May without restrictions.
“BSH has withdrawn the immediate execution order as it is no longer needed. The original permit from 2018 allows construction from the end of May, including today, and to carry out work until the end of September”, – said Merle Mansfeld, deputy spokeswoman for the German Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography (BSH).
Meanwhile, the pipelayer Akademik Chersky is working on Line A in Danish waters and has more than 75 kilometres to go.
As EADaily reported, yesterday, May 24, Gazprom once again reminded that Europe is behind the schedule for pumping gas into the storages. However, the company itself is not planning to significantly increase exports in the near future, and plans to meet the additional demand by means of Nord Stream 2, which may be launched in autumn. Gazprom’s nearest competitors, meanwhile, will not be able to increase gas exports, and the company can expect to need all the capacity of the still unbuilt pipeline when demand peaks in the next heating season. After the scandalous amendments to the gas directive, Nord Stream 2 may only operate at half capacity for the time being.