Germany speaks out about new US sanctions on 'Nord Stream-2'
The German government is disappointed with the US decision to impose sanctions on the Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna, which is participating in the construction of Nord Stream 2.
“We regret this information,” a spokesman for the German Economy Ministry told the German news agency DPA.
The US Embassy in Berlin informed the German government on Monday of plans to impose restrictions, the news agency added.
Earlier, Handelsblatt reported that Washington was expected to impose sanctions on the Fortuna and its owner, KVT-Rus, on Tuesday. According to the newspaper, US authorities also warned other European partners about their decision to impose sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act). German authorities consider these measures illegal.
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| Construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Photo: Sputnik |
Project “Nord Stream-2”
“Nord Stream-2”plans to build two gas pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to the Federal Republic of Germany. The project has met with fierce opposition from the United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas to the EU, as well as Ukraine and a number of other European countries. The United States has imposed sanctions on the gas pipeline, so the Swiss company Allseas was forced to stop construction.
Work resumed a year later - in December 2020, the Fortuna laid 2.6 km of pipeline in German waters. As a result, according to Nord Stream 2 AG, there are still about 148 km of pipeline left to be completed out of the total length of the two pipelines, which is 2,460 km: 120 km in Danish waters and about 28 km in German waters. The Danish authorities have given the Fortuna permission to start laying pipes since January 15, and the German permit for the ship is valid until the end of May.
