Many experts regarded the situation with Navalny and the subsequent actions of Germany as a reason for curtailing Nord Stream 2 and generally reducing activity in cooperation with Russia “on all fronts”. Well, as if Germany was pushed by the United States, and Navalny was the reason. Another part of the experts interpreted this to mean that the US laid under Merkel, with the help of the results of the Bundeswehr’s NATO laboratory, an effective “bomb” that should reliably destroy the Nord Stream 2 hated by the Americans.
Today it became known that: The German government is not considering suspending Nord Stream 2. This was reported by the German “Telepolis” with reference to a message received from the German Ministry of Economy and Energy. It says the German government is not exploring the legal possibilities of suspending the construction of the Baltic gas pipeline or any claims for damages that may arise as a result. “For the Federal government, these are hypothetical issues that it does not comment on,” Telepolis quoted the German Economy Ministry as saying.
The Ministry clarified that the construction of the gas pipeline is mostly completed, and the gas reception point in Lubmin has been commissioned. The German newspaper notes that the German Ministry of Economy and Energy for the first time clearly spoke out against abandoning Nord Stream 2. Prior to this, Minister Peter Altmaier quite smoothly stated to “Handelsblatt” that such projects are built for decades and cannot be discussed every few months.
After learning from “Telepolis” about the position of the Ministry of Economy and Energy, the head of the Bundestag Economy and Energy Committee, Klaus Ernst, said: “Now the discussion should finally return to the real issue: how can we successfully protect ourselves from the sanctions threatened by the US”.
What is happening now with the construction of SP-2?
Now three auxiliary vessels are participating in the testing of the “Akademik Chersky” pipe layer near the Curonian Spit. This is evidenced by data from the “Marine Traffic” ship tracking website. At first, only the “Chersky” and the “Finval” supply ship were tested. By the way, the latter vessel received a new name only a few months ago, before that it was called “Bourbon Surf”. Now the supplier is registered with Gazprombank leasing.
Now, according to “MarineTraffic”, the sea rescue service supply vessels “Umka” and “Baltic Explorer” have joined the work. The second half of the squadron “Ivan Sidorenko” and “Ostap Sheremeta” remain in the Kaliningrad port of Svetly. There is no specific information about what the vessels are experiencing, but knowing some facts, we can draw certain conclusions. Earlier in the German port of Mukran “Chersky” was undergoing a major modernisation.
Electronics, navigation, and control equipment were replaced. The main components and mechanisms of each of the three cranes on the ship were changed. Additional power generators were installed, and the noise insulation of the engine room was enhanced. In addition, an anchor positioning system had to be installed on the pipelayer in Mukran. In Germany, it is required that in shallow waters in the German waters of the Baltic Sea, the laying of the gas pipeline should be carried out by a vessel with anchor positioning. And the owners of the suitable barge “Fortuna” refused to participate in the project. Actually, this system is currently being tested by “Chersky”, “Finval”, “Umka”, and “Baltic Explorer”.
“They will check the operation of electronic systems and, above all, the anchors installed for positioning the ship during its operation,” writes Polish journalist Mariusz Marszałkowski in “Biznes Alert”. “In total, eight anchors were installed on board ‘Akademik Chersky’. Each of them has an independent power generator used to power the winches. The pipelayer will be accompanied by anchor cutters, whose job is to move and properly tighten the anchor chains,” explained Marszałkowski.
Sources of the journalist explained that after sea trials, the pipelayer should return to Mukran to complete the work on board. They will take a few more weeks, after which “Akademik Chersky” will be able to start construction of Nord Stream 2 in early November. There are about 160 kilometers left to complete in Danish and German waters. And about 20 kilometers on each line falls on German waters. And their depth in the area of work, according to the map of the Leibniz Baltic Sea Research Institute, is just up to 20 meters.