Shell Oil Company Appeals Ruling of Polish Watchdog on Nord Stream 2

"We examined the decision of UOKiK; we strongly disagree with it, so we have filed an appeal on 5 November, in accordance with all the legal procedures", Shell stated on Monday.

In the meantime, Russia's Gazprom, Germany's Uniper, and Austria's OMV also said they are appealing the decision.

The pipeline has faced numerous attacks from the US and several European countries, including Poland. Warsaw, as well as Washington, has repeatedly claimed that Nord Stream 2 poses a danger to Europe by making it dependant on Russian gas.

Nord Stream 2 is a $10.5 billion joint venture between Russia's Gazprom, Germany's Uniper and Wintershall, Austria's OMV, France's Engie, and UK/Dutch energy conglomerate Royal Dutch Shell. When completed, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be capable of transporting up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year from Russia to Germany, doubling the capacity of the existing Nord Stream network.

In a bid to stop the project, the US imposed sanctions on companies that have links to Nord Stream 2, including firms that provide services or funds to upgrade or install equipment on ships for laying the pipeline. The threat of sanctions even forced the Swiss pipelay company Allseas to quit the project in December 2019, when just 100 miles of the pipeline was left to lay.