Pipelayer "Academician Chersky", which could complete the "Nord Stream - 2", during the last month inactive on the pier of the Danish island of Rügen. And in July it will be impossible to carry out work. Writes about this German edition Heise.
can say, that the construction of Nord Stream 2 is separated from completion by only 150-160 kilometers of unloaded pipes, that is about 6 percent of the route. At the most inopportune moment last year, the Swiss-Dutch company Allseas refused to continue work due to the threat of falling under US sanctions. This forced "Gazprom" to overtake its ship "Akademik Chersky" across half the world from the Sea of Japan to the construction site., which now stands idle.
The situation is further complicated by the upcoming cod spawning season., which will start at the end of June – july. At this time, it is impossible to carry out work at sea.. It is the spawning of cod, according to the German press, can, besides US sanctions, become a deterrent to the implementation of the SP-2 gas pipeline project.
But, for sure, inactivity of the pipelayer is caused by objective reasons. It is not excluded, for example, that the re-equipment of the ship has not yet been completed to fulfill new tasks.
Besides, performance of "Akademik Chersky" is extremely low, because he is able to lay no more than one kilometer of pipes per day. And the more productive Russian pipelayer "Fortuna" is not allowed to work by the Danish authorities due to its technical characteristics.. It is not equipped, unlike "Chersky", dynamic positioning system in stormy weather. therefore, if Denmark allows, the pipes will be laid by "Fortune", and the functions of "Academician Chersky" will be reduced to “simply being around this pipelayer”.
There are enough obstacles on the way of "Nord Stream 2", because the United States is using all the forces and all the influence, to freeze the construction of an already almost finished pipeline. Now they are preparing a second package of sanctions, which provides for the seizure of assets of individuals and organizations, participating in the project, as well as a ban on entering the ports of ships, involved in construction.
In Russia they consider, that all these measures are manifestations of unfair competition, as stated by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation and other officials.
The Russian industry magazine "Neftegaz" even suggested, that natural gas, intended for Nord Stream – 2», will be redirected through the completed Power of Siberia gas pipeline to China. This assumption should be a reason for reflection for Europeans.
