Saipem’s pipelay vessel Castoro 10 (C10) is currently working off Rügen to tie together the two ends of the Nord Stream 2 pipe string laid last year on the seabed.
According to Nord Stream 2 AG the two sections will be connected above water with a weld seam.
In what is known as an Above-Water Tie-In (AWTI) both pipe ends will be lifted out of the water and then cut, aligned and welded together from a working platform attached to the C10.
The weld seam is ultrasonically tested and coated with an anti-corrosion protection. Afterwards, the pipe string will be placed on the Baltic seafloor in a slight arc, the company explained.
Including all preparation and follow-up work, the procedure takes two to three weeks.
Work on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is proceeding as scheduled, with more than 1,700 kilometers (over 70 percent) of both pipe strings laid in accordance with the existing permits in the waters of Germany, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
Nord Stream 2’s natural gas pipelines will have the capacity to transport 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian gas a year to the EU, for at least 50 years.