World’s Biggest Construction Ship to Start Laying Nord Stream 2 Pipes Next Week

"Pipelay vessel ‘Pioneering Spirit’ will enter the Baltic Sea via the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark to join the Nord Stream 2 construction fleet. The vessel is due to start to pipelay in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the coming week … The vessel will be mobilised in Denmark for a few days, after which it will continue its journey to the Finnish EEZ to continue to pipelay of the first line," the statement read.

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In April, Nord Stream 2 AG and Swiss company Allseas Group S.A. signed a contract on laying the pipes offshore. Apart from Solitaire, two other vessels, Pioneering Spirit and Audacia, were set to be used in the project. Audacia was expected to be used in Germany's waters, while Pioneering Spirit will be used for work at deep sea layers.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian gas giant Gazprom and five European companies. It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters (1.9 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas annually to the European Union via the Baltic Sea and Germany, and is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019. The pipeline project has been welcomed by some countries in Europe and opposed by others that feel it might increase their dependence on Russian gas.