Pioneering Spirit Begins Nord Stream 2 Pipelay in Finland

Pioneering Spirit pipelay vessel has joined Nord Stream 2’s construction fleet and started pipelay works in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on Saturday.

The vessel will continue installation of the natural gas pipeline following pipelay vessel Solitaire, which started construction in Finland in September.

Solitaire has now moved to the southern part of the Swedish EEZ, where it will start construction of the 510 kilometer section there for the next few months.

Pioneering Spirit, operated by Allseas, is 382 meters long and 124 meters wide, and hosts an international crew of 570, whereas Solitaire is 300 meters long and 41 meters wide with a 420-strong crew.

The pipelay vessels are supported by a survey vessel, which will monitor the pipelay process and ensure that the pipeline is installed at its correct position along the agreed route on the seabed.

Pipe joints will be supplied to the pipelay vessels around the clock from the project’s nearest logistics hub in Hanko, Finland and Karlshamn, Sweden respectively, to reduce the environmental footprint.

The Nord Stream 2 project has received permits in four out of the five countries through whose waters the twin pipelines will pass. Since then, works have been carried out according to the national permits in Sweden, Finland, Germany and Russia.

Construction works at the Russian and German landfalls are ongoing, and pipelay vessel Audacia finished its work in German waters on Saturday. Already approximately 370 kilometers of pipeline have been laid so far.

Nord Stream 2 is a twin pipeline stretching 1,200 km through the Baltic Sea. Each line will comprise around 100,000 individual pipes, each 12 meters in length.