RIGA — They fumed and protested, but in the end neither Estonia, Latvia nor Lithuania’s objections and suggested alternatives could stop the Nord Stream pipeline.

A massive pipe-laying vessel set to sea Friday in Copenhagen, marking the beginning of the construction of the €7.4 billion Nord Stream gas pipeline project that will connect Russia and Germany, something Vytautas Landbergis, the leader of Lithuania’s Sąjūdis movement calls a new Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

The 150-meter long Castoro 6 passed [private_supervisor]under Copenhagen’s Great Belt Bridge in its inaugural voyage on its way to begin laying pipe on the Baltic Sea bed.

Nord Stream, a company controlled by Russia’s Gazprom, said in a press release that the first pipe will be laid in Sweden’s economic zone, about 30 kilometers off the coast of Gotland. “From there the Castoro 6 will slowly move north toward the Gulf of Finland, laying the pipeline at the rate of 2.5 kilometers per day,” the company said.

The Castoro 6’s maiden voyage culminated years of environmental scrutiny and political wrangling as Germany, a huge natural gas consumer, negotiated the pipeline with Moscow without consulting EU allies.

Gradually, however, countries affected by the project caved in and gave the assent to pipe-laying in the maritime economic zones. In February a Finnish environment gave its approval to the project, the last hurdle before work could begin.

According to Nord Stream, ships will continuously deliver pipe to the Castoro, where 12-meter long pipes will be prepared for welding. “Then each pipe will first be welded to another one to form a 24-meter long double pipe, and then these double pipes will be welded onto the pipeline in the vessel’s central production line. Every millimeter of each weld will undergo thorough testing and the vessel will move ahead, slowly lowering the pipeline on to the seabed.”

The project calls for laying two parallel pipes. The first is expected to be completed in 2011, and the second in 2012. Together they will deliver 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Vyborg on the Gulf of Finland to the German port Greifswald. The company says that is sufficient gas to supply 25 million European households.

Russia hopes that, by building the pipeline, it can decrease dependence on unreliable transit countries such as Ukraine.

Meanwhile Latvijas Gāze is seeking a spur from Nord Stream to increase its stored gas. Latvia has consistently asked Nord Stream to consider a land route through it to no avail. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]under Copenhagen’s Great Belt Bridge in its inaugural voyage on its way to begin laying pipe on the Baltic Sea bed.

Nord Stream, a company controlled by Russia’s Gazprom, said in a press release that the first pipe will be laid in Sweden’s economic zone, about 30 kilometers off the coast of Gotland. “From there the Castoro 6 will slowly move north toward the Gulf of Finland, laying the pipeline at the rate of 2.5 kilometers per day,” the company said.

The Castoro 6’s maiden voyage culminated years of environmental scrutiny and political wrangling as Germany, a huge natural gas consumer, negotiated the pipeline with Moscow without consulting EU allies.

Gradually, however, countries affected by the project caved in and gave the assent to pipe-laying in the maritime economic zones. In February a Finnish environment gave its approval to the project, the last hurdle before work could begin.

According to Nord Stream, ships will continuously deliver pipe to the Castoro, where 12-meter long pipes will be prepared for welding. “Then each pipe will first be welded to another one to form a 24-meter long double pipe, and then these double pipes will be welded onto the pipeline in the vessel’s central production line. Every millimeter of each weld will undergo thorough testing and the vessel will move ahead, slowly lowering the pipeline on to the seabed.”

The project calls for laying two parallel pipes. The first is expected to be completed in 2011, and the second in 2012. Together they will deliver 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Vyborg on the Gulf of Finland to the German port Greifswald. The company says that is sufficient gas to supply 25 million European households.

Russia hopes that, by building the pipeline, it can decrease dependence on unreliable transit countries such as Ukraine.

Meanwhile Latvijas Gāze is seeking a spur from Nord Stream to increase its stored gas. Latvia has consistently asked Nord Stream to consider a land route through it to no avail. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]under Copenhagen’s Great Belt Bridge in its inaugural voyage on its way to begin laying pipe on the Baltic Sea bed.

Nord Stream, a company controlled by Russia’s Gazprom, said in a press release that the first pipe will be laid in Sweden’s economic zone, about 30 kilometers off the coast of Gotland. “From there the Castoro 6 will slowly move north toward the Gulf of Finland, laying the pipeline at the rate of 2.5 kilometers per day,” the company said.

The Castoro 6’s maiden voyage culminated years of environmental scrutiny and political wrangling as Germany, a huge natural gas consumer, negotiated the pipeline with Moscow without consulting EU allies.

Gradually, however, countries affected by the project caved in and gave the assent to pipe-laying in the maritime economic zones. In February a Finnish environment gave its approval to the project, the last hurdle before work could begin.

According to Nord Stream, ships will continuously deliver pipe to the Castoro, where 12-meter long pipes will be prepared for welding. “Then each pipe will first be welded to another one to form a 24-meter long double pipe, and then these double pipes will be welded onto the pipeline in the vessel’s central production line. Every millimeter of each weld will undergo thorough testing and the vessel will move ahead, slowly lowering the pipeline on to the seabed.”

The project calls for laying two parallel pipes. The first is expected to be completed in 2011, and the second in 2012. Together they will deliver 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Vyborg on the Gulf of Finland to the German port Greifswald. The company says that is sufficient gas to supply 25 million European households.

Russia hopes that, by building the pipeline, it can decrease dependence on unreliable transit countries such as Ukraine.

Meanwhile Latvijas Gāze is seeking a spur from Nord Stream to increase its stored gas. Latvia has consistently asked Nord Stream to consider a land route through it to no avail. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]under Copenhagen’s Great Belt Bridge in its inaugural voyage on its way to begin laying pipe on the Baltic Sea bed.

Nord Stream, a company controlled by Russia’s Gazprom, said in a press release that the first pipe will be laid in Sweden’s economic zone, about 30 kilometers off the coast of Gotland. “From there the Castoro 6 will slowly move north toward the Gulf of Finland, laying the pipeline at the rate of 2.5 kilometers per day,” the company said.

The Castoro 6’s maiden voyage culminated years of environmental scrutiny and political wrangling as Germany, a huge natural gas consumer, negotiated the pipeline with Moscow without consulting EU allies.

Gradually, however, countries affected by the project caved in and gave the assent to pipe-laying in the maritime economic zones. In February a Finnish environment gave its approval to the project, the last hurdle before work could begin.

According to Nord Stream, ships will continuously deliver pipe to the Castoro, where 12-meter long pipes will be prepared for welding. “Then each pipe will first be welded to another one to form a 24-meter long double pipe, and then these double pipes will be welded onto the pipeline in the vessel’s central production line. Every millimeter of each weld will undergo thorough testing and the vessel will move ahead, slowly lowering the pipeline on to the seabed.”

The project calls for laying two parallel pipes. The first is expected to be completed in 2011, and the second in 2012. Together they will deliver 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Vyborg on the Gulf of Finland to the German port Greifswald. The company says that is sufficient gas to supply 25 million European households.

Russia hopes that, by building the pipeline, it can decrease dependence on unreliable transit countries such as Ukraine.

Meanwhile Latvijas Gāze is seeking a spur from Nord Stream to increase its stored gas. Latvia has consistently asked Nord Stream to consider a land route through it to no avail. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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