Pioneering Spirit starts Nord Stream 2 pipelay work

Pipelay vessel Pioneering Spirit has started pipelay works in the Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of the Nord Stream 2’s construction.

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

Solitaire has 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, a statement from the Nord Stream 2 project says.

Pioneering Spirit, operated by Allseas, is 382 meters long and 124 meters wide, whereas Solitaire is 300 meters long and 41 meters wide.

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 statement reads.

The Nord Stream 2 project is proceeding according to plan and on schedule, the statement reads.

It 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 has already finished its work in German waters. Already approximately 370 kilometers of the pipeline have been laid so far.