The Fortuna vessel, capable of completing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, has returned to the completion zone near the Danish-German border. This is reported by Reuters with reference to data from the ship tracking system Refinitiv Eikon. Nine more Russian ships are arriving in this area.
On Thursday, January 21, “Fortuna” left the German port in the work area. She, according to the Danish authorities, should be engaged in laying pipes in the waters of the kingdom. At the same time, another ship, the Akademik Chersky pipe-layer, left the port of Kaliningrad and headed for the German port of Wismar.
On Tuesday, January 19, the United States for the first time implemented a sanctions threat against the companies involved in the construction of the Russian gas pipeline. The barge Fortuna and its Russian owner were hit. Almost at the same time, two more companies left the gas pipeline project: the German Bilfinger SE, which was engaged in the supply and commissioning of technological control and safety systems for the operation of the pipeline, and the Swiss Zurich Insurance Group.
At the same time, Gazprom first started talking about the risk of project failure. In Germany, it is believed that the fate of the project will be decided in the coming weeks or months, and the failure of the construction is called one of the possible options. At the same time, the Kremlin continues to believe in the finalization of the construction. Commissioning of Nord Stream 2 was planned for late 2020 or early 2021. We are currently talking about the summer of 2021.