Baltic Sea Pipeline: The "Fortuna" is now laying the next parts of Nord Stream 2

In the Baltic Sea, the Russian laying vessel "Fortuna" is now continuing to build the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. "The" Fortuna "is currently working in German waters in accordance with the existing permits and the announcements made by the authorities," said a spokesman for Nord Stream 2 AG on Sunday.

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in Hamburg had previously approved the continuation of the work.

Pipes should now be laid over a length of two kilometers.

The background to this is a decision by the BSH, according to which there are currently no more resting birds there that need to be protected.

Therefore it is not necessary to wait until the end of May to start work as originally planned, it said.

Criticism from Nabu and environmental aid

The pipes may be placed on the seabed, the assembly should take place later, it said.

The two kilometers are in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

According to information from Nord Stream 2, work with the Russian laying vessel “Akademik Tscherski” is also ongoing in Danish waters.

The Naturschutzbund Deutschland (Nabu) and Deutsche Umwelthilfe went to court against the BSH approval from January for further construction in the German EEZ, with reference to birds resting in the protected area.

Now the office has allowed the pipes to be placed on the seabed until construction continues, since the birds' resting time in this short section is over.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany is largely completed.

According to the information, 13.9 kilometers of one line and 16.8 kilometers of the second line are missing in German waters.

The United States and several European countries are against the pipeline because they fear that Europe is too dependent on Russian gas.

The Americans have issued sanctions to prevent prefabricated buildings. But Washington recently refrained from harsher punitive measures out of consideration for the federal government in Berlin. Russia hopes to end the project in the next few months and to be able to pump the first gas through the 1,230-kilometer pipeline this year.