Nord Stream 2 Construction Begins in Russian Waters

Pipelay vessel Solitaire, owned by Swiss-based offshore operator Allseas, has started laying the first line of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Russian waters, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.

The vessel will spend about a month constructing one of the two approximately 100-kilometres-long sections in the Russian territorial sea, according to the company.

The activities are performed in accordance with the national permits granted by responsible authorities. During operations, a safety zone of 1.85 kilometres (1 nautical mile) is applied around the working vessel. The Solitaire will carry out pipe laying work around the clock, seven days a week. It accomodates up to 420 people on board.

Within one month it is planned to lay 100 kilometers of the gas pipeline in Russian territorial waters.

Pipe supply vessels will deliver the 12-metre, 24-ton concrete weight coated steel pipes from the project’s nearest logistics hub in Kotka, Finland.

Construction works are proceeding well and according to plans also at the Russian and German landfalls, the entry and exit points of the pipeline system. Furthermore, offshore pipelay is on-going in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone by Pioneering Spirit. Over 1,100 kilometres of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline have been laid in total so far.

Construction work is also continuing on schedule in the Russian and German onshore areas at the start and end points of the gas transmission system.

In addition, the pipe-laying vessel Pioneering Spirit continues to lay the pipe in the exclusive economic zone of Sweden. More than 1,100 kilometers of the Nord Stream – 2 gas pipeline have already been laid, the report states.