Nord Stream enters Danish waters

Offshore staff

ZUG, Switzerland -- Installation of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline is now in progress offshore all five nations alongside its route in the Baltic Sea.

Earlier this week, the lay vesselCastoro Sei reached Danish waters, 50 km (31 mi) south of Bornholm.

The vessel had picked up the pipeline in the German zone, where the flat-bottomedCastoro Dieci had completed the shallow-water section ahead of schedule close to the German landfall.

Castoro Sei had started laying the first sections of the Nord Stream Pipeline in April in the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone off the island of Gotland, laying in an easterly direction into Finnish waters before setting down the pipeline and transferring to the Russian stretch.

At the easternmost end of the 1,224-km (760-mi) pipeline route, Allseas’ Solitaire has reached the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), having completed its work in Russian waters. It had picked up the pipeline whereCastoro Sei had finished the section at the Russian landfall.

To date over 500 km (310 mi) of the pipeline has been completed. It is due to start transporting gas from Russia to customers in the European Union in late 2011.

10/22/2010