North Stream 2: Washington announces sanctions against Russian pipeline-laying vessel
US sanctions target the Fortuna ship used to complete construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Here in the Baltic Sea on September 30, 2020. REUTERS - OLIVER DENZER
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2 min
Donald Trump launches a final obstacle to the finalization of the construction of the North Stream 2 gas pipeline, between Russia and Germany.
A few hours before the end of the Trump administration, Washington is sanctioning the Russian company KVT, owner of the boat responsible for laying the last pipelines.
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While there are 100 kilometers of pipes to be laid at the bottom of the Baltic Sea to allow the delivery of Russian gas to Europe, the United States is announcing administrative sanctions against the Russian ship Fortuna, a pipeline installer.
The North Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is to double the Russian gas delivery capacity of North Stream 1, was to be financed half by the Russian giant Gazprom and by European companies.
But the United States very quickly declared itself hostile to the project, considering that it would make Europeans
too dependent on Russian gas
.
Since then, Washington has continued to
increase the sanctions
.
This has led European companies to give up participating in the project.
Faced with the withdrawal of the Europeans, Moscow decided to send a Russian boat to finalize the laying of the pipelines.
The announcement of this Washington sanction therefore once again blocks the road to the future gas pipeline.
Will North Stream 2 - which was scheduled to start up in early 2020 - ever transport Russian gas to Europe?
The answer will come from new President Joe Biden.
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