Offshore staff

PORTOVAYA BAY, Russia – The final weld connecting the offshore and onshore parts of the first Nord Stream gas line in northern Europe has been completed.

The Russian landfall in Portovaya Bay is now linked with the pipeline across the Baltic Sea. In the next few days, Line 1 will be ready to be filled with gas, with supplies from northern Russian gas field to due to start in the fall.

Construction of Line 1 started in April 2010, and has involved installing landfall facilities in Russia and Germany and laying pipe over 1,224 km (760 mi) across the Baltic Sea.

Half of Line 2 - 600 km, or 373 mi - has been laid so far, according to Nord Stream Technical Director Sergey Serdyukov, and this line should be completed at the end of 2012.

Line 1 will shortly be connected to the European gas grid at the German landfall. Pressure testing has been completed and results have confirmed the readiness of the pipeline for secure operation over the next 50 years.

08/22/2011