A Pipeline Links Russia and Europe a Visit To

A Pipeline Links Russia and Europe

Castoro Sei A VISIT TO THE FACTORY SHIP

Interview How important is Russian Gas for Us?

BOMBS AND MINEs DANGEROUS INHERITANCE FROM TWO WORLD WARS

A Collaboration by

with Respect. For Europe’s energy needs.

Europe needs new sources of natural gas to maintain economic growth while meeting climate protection targets. The Nord Stream Pipeline is a timely and environmentally sound means of bringing large volumes of natural gas to Europe. Nord Stream AG is an international consortium of five major energy companies whose combined experience ensures the best technology, safety and corporate governance for this project. www.nord-stream.com

Group GroupGroup Group

2 Nord-Stream Die Pipeline

NORD_01_108_Anzeige_SciAm_206x273+3.indd 1 08.09.11 14:46 EDITORIAL

Richard Zinken Publishing Director Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH

TheDawningofaNewEra—withNaturalGas? Respect. ithnoapparentdestination,thehelicop- moreandmorepeopleseemoderngasandsteam Respect. W ter flies out to sea. But somewhere out combined power plants—especially after the re- there,movingafewkilometersfurthereveryday, actor accident at Fukushima—as an acceptable thereistheCastoro Sei—afloatingfactoryinthe bridgingtechnology. middleoftheBalticSea.Frominsidethisshipthe Butwherewillthesearchforasustainableen- ForFor Europe’sEurope’s Baltic Sea pipeline is being created—gas pipes ergystrategyleadus?Couldourdesireforsecuri- connecting Lubmin in northern Germany with ty of supply result in our being dangerously de- VyborgonRussia’swesterncoast,morethan1,200 pendent? kilometersaway. Nolessimportant,ofcourse,isthequestionof WevisitedtheCastoro Seiandinthisissuewe environmentalprotection:Whatimpactwillthe energyenergy needs.needs. will explain how every few minutes the men installationworkhaveonthefragileecosystemof thereweldonepieceofpipetothenextandthen theBalticSea?Whatabouttheexplosiveortoxic sinkittothebottomofthesea—andwhyourau- munitionsleftoverfromthetwoworldwarsly- thorwassoimpressedbythe“strangelyrelaxed ingdormantontheseabed?Andwhatofthecon- routineonboard.” cernsaboutlong-termconsequences—fortheflo- The construction of this pipeline across the raandfauna,aswellasforthefishingindustries Baltic Sea is truly a gigantic project, costing the oftheneighboringcountries? operator, Nord Stream, a total of around 7.4 bil- These are all questions we want to answer in lion euros. Naturally, the plans have not been thismagazine. withoutcontroversy—political,economicand,of course, from the perspective of many environ- Enjoythisexcitingread! mentalcampaigners. One thing is certain: we are not yet able to quench our ever-growing thirst for energy with renewable energy sources. It is no surprise that

EuropeEurope needs needs new new sources sources of naturalof natural gas gas to tomaintain maintain economic economic growth growth while while meetingmeeting climate climate protection protection targets. targets. The The Nord Nord Stream Stream Pipeline Pipeline is isa timelya timely and and environmentallyenvironmentally sound sound means means of bringingof bringing large large volumes volumes of ofnatural natural gas gas to toEurope. Europe. NordNord Stream Stream AG AG is anis aninternational international consortium consortium of offive five major major energy energy companies companies IMPRESSUM whosewhose combined combined experience ensures experience ensures the the best best technology, technology, safety safety and and corporate corporate Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH / Nord Stream AG to damages against the individual or the user. For any authorised use (or any governance for this project. www.nord-stream.com permitted by law) of the work the following industry-standard source governance for this project. www.nord-stream.com Direction: Dr. Joachim Schüring Communications Directors: Ulrich Lissek, Jens D. Müller reference is to be made in the appropriate place: © 2011 (author), Address: Spektrum der Wissenschaft—Custom Publishing, Project management: Frank Dudley Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH / Nord Stream Postfach 10 48 40, 69038 Heidelberg, Germany; Project controlling: Anne Céline Bonnier AG. Any use without this source reference made in the form above Hausanschrift: Slevogtstraße 3–5, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany; Corporate Publishing Manager: Michèle Bodmer entitles Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH / Nord Tel. +49 6221 9126-612, Fax +49 6221 9126-5612 Address: Nord Stream AG, Grafenauweg 2, CH-6304 Zug Stream AG to damages against the individual or the user. Tel. +41 41 766-9191, Fax +41 41 766-9192 www.spektrum.com/cp www.nord-stream.com GroupGroup Editors: Jan Dönges, Dr. Daniel Lingenhöhl GroupGroup GroupGroup GroupGroup Art Direction/Layout: Karsten Kramarczik Date of Publication: Spektrum der Wissenschaft 11/2011, epoc 6/2011, Final editing: Christina Meyberg, Sigrid Spies, Scientiﬁ c American International (Europe) 11/2011, V mire nauki 2/2011 Katharina Werle Photo editors: Alice Krüßmann, Anke Lingg, Gabriela Rabe All rights to this work lie with Spektrum der Wissenschaft Editorial assistant: Petra Mers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH / Nord Stream AG. Any use of the work, Translators: Tom Harris (Engl.), Rita Pauls, Dr. Nataliya Soultanian (Russ.) particularly reproduction, distribution, public display or the right of A COLLABORATION BY public accessibility, without the prior written permission of Spektrum Project management at Scientiﬁ c American: Jeremy Abbate der Wissenschaft Verlagsgesellschaft mbH / Nord Stream AG is strictly WITH Project management at V mire nauki: Swetlana Wladimirowna Popowa prohibited. Any unauthorised use of the work entitles Spektrum der CUSTOM MEDIA nord-stream.de 3

NORD_01_108_Anzeige_SciAm_206x273+3.inddNORD_01_108_Anzeige_SciAm_206x273+3.indd 1 1 08.09.1108.09.11 14:46 14:46 Untitled-1EN_Editorial.indd 1 3 20.09.20119/22/11 15:06:14 10:17 Uhr AM CONTENTS

22 Gas from Siberia 30 Alexander Rahr

6 Castoro Sei 32 The Environment 42 Bombs and Shipwrecks

3 Editorial INTERVIEW INTERVIEW 30 “ I see the pipeline as a 39 “ The fear of environmental REPORT stabilizing infl uence” damage was huge” 6 Production Line in the Sea Will the Baltic Sea pipeline make us Neel Strøbæk advises the Nord Roland Knauer too dependent on Russian gas? We Stream pipeline operators on Every few minutes the men asked political scientist Alexander environmental protection matters. on board the Castoro Sei weld Rahr of the German Foreign Policy We asked her about the effects another section of steel pipe to the Society pipeline construction would have pipeline across the Baltic Sea. They today and in the future construct around three kilometers 32 The Pipeline more every day and the Sea 42 Detective Work Stefanie Reinberger on the Seabed 22 A Burning Passion…for Gas Wind and solar power are not meet- Kerstin Viering Hanno Charisius ing Europe’s energy demands on The fl oor of the Baltic Sea is littered After oil and coal, natural gas is the their own. Energy companies and with the explosive legacy of two world’s most important fossil fuel. politicians want to fi ll the gap in world wars. Nord Stream went on But where does this fuel actually supplies with Russian gas. But will the hunt for bombs and grenades— come from? And how does it end this solution come at the environ- to the delight of underwater up in our kitchen? ment’s expense? archaeologists

26 At Any Price? 50 The Last Word… Daniel Heldmann Russia will soon deliver enough gas to supply 26 million European households every year. But the global gas markets are in turmoil. What does this mean for the security of our supply? ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, Outstanding solutions for the biggest Oil & gas challenges Saipem is a leading global general contractor, with a full range of project management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation services, with distinctive capabilities in the design and execution of large-scale offshore and onshore projects, particularly in oil & gas markets. Saipem has a growing focus on activities in remote and difﬁ cult areas, as well as on major technological challenges, such as deep waters exploitation, gas monetization and liquefaction, heavy and unconventional oils production and conversion, and many others.

ONE WORD, ONE WORLD Skills, Assets, Innovation, People, Environment, Market.

saipem.com

spm_Scientific American.indd 1 05/08/11 12:21 Production Line in the Sea Since April 2010, the men aboard the Castoro Sei have been welding together 12-meter-long steel pipes and lowering them onto the bed of the Baltic Sea. The pipeline they are building—at a rate of about three kilometers a day—will transport gas from Russia to Europe when it is completed in 2011 and stretch 1,224 kilometers across the sea. Our author visited their ﬂ oating pipe factory situated off the coast of Finland.

By Roland Knauer

6 Production Line in the Sea Off to a new job: In early 2010, after her overhaul at a shipyard in Rotter- dam, the Castoro Sei made her way to the Baltic Sea. Here she is passing by the Storebæltsbroen, the bridge over the Great Belt. www.nord-stream.com 7 NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM On good days, more than 300 of the 12-meter-long pipe sections disappear into the belly of the Castoro Sei. At the bow of the ship (bottom left), the ﬁ nished pipeline dives down into the sea.

8 Production Line in the Sea NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM Before being moved to the ship’s interior, the pipes, weighed down with their concrete casings, are cleaned and have any rust removed.

www.nord-stream.com 9 NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM 10 Production Line in the Sea Each pipe joint is welded three times—to protect it from conditions at the bottom of the Baltic Sea and keep it impermeable for decades to come.

www.nord-stream.com 11 BOTH PHOTOS: NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM PHOTOS: BOTH Every few minutes the pipeline grows the length of another double-pipe. After several painstaking maneuvers the gas pipeline leaves the ship on its way to the seabed.

12 Production Line in the Sea www.nord-stream.com 13 NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM omenico Alferj has come to the Finnish huge pillars, against which the Baltic’s waves D town of Turku, where he is now squeezed are breaking 16 meters below. Experts call this into a tight wetsuit, in order to make the last kind of construction “semi-submersible.” Un- part of his journey to work. Alferj, who has just derwater, the pillars connect with two pontoons spent time with his family in Italy, climbs into that carry the 32,000-ton vessel. The ship is also the waiting helicopter. The uncomfortable out- equipped with ballast tanks that can be fl ooded fi t is a safety requirement, designed to save the to allow the vessel to descend into the sea until lives of the passengers in the event of an emer- she has a draught of more than 15 meters. At gency landing in the chilly water of the Baltic this point, the semi-submersible is so deep that Sea. His fellow passenger in the helicopter, even in stormy weather she hardly rocks. One Arcangelo De Luca, is wearing a similar wetsuit happy result of this is that seasickness among and laughing. The pair cannot talk to each oth- the approximately 330 men on board is rare. er, as the two turbines above their heads are But the well-being of the crew is not the rea- making an infernal noise. Luckily, the fl ight son for ship’s elaborate construction. The steadi- only takes half an hour, after which we can see ness of this workshop on the high seas guaran- the men’s workplace, a boat called the Castoro tees that the technicians and engineers are able Sei. Alferj is the captain of this ship and De to carry out the high-precision work needed for Luca, its engineer. the job. The Castoro Sei is a fl oating factory, or The helicopter, carrying the two men and a more precisely, one of three pipe-laying vessels dozen other crew members, touches down gen- that are welding together and laying the two tly on the landing deck at the stern of the ship— 1,224-kilometer-long pipelines on the bed of the 33 meters above the water’s surface. Anyone Baltic Sea. The plan, upon completion of the Captain Domenico Alferj seeing the Castoro Sei for the fi rst time may project in 2012, is for the pipes to carry about 55 (left) is usually found on the wonder why it does not resemble a freighter, billion cubic meters of gas from Russia to Eu- bridge of the Castoro Sei, ferry or cruise ship. In fact, it looks more like an rope every year—around ten percent of the cur- while engineer Arcangelo De oil rig. This is because the 152-meter-long and rent gas consumption in Europe and enough to Luca is always on hand 70-meter-wide boat is essentially a giant plat- supply 26 million households. “We are going to whenever something on the form resting on two rows each composed of fi ve lay around 70 percent, the lion’s share of the fl oating factory needs fi xing. NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM COSTE SAIPEM / FRANÇOIS

14 Production Line in the Sea Anyone getting aboard here is heading home—usually for three weeks. After that the helicopter brings them back to their workplace, with 12

NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM hours on and 12 hours off.

two pipes,” explains Alferj, while the noise of about fi t onto a truck. Since the steel is up to 41 the helicopter fl ying back to Turku fades into millimeters thick, each tube weighs 11 to 12 the distance. tons. A brownish-red layer of epoxy resin, bare- The newly arrived crew members have ly a tenth of a millimeter thick, is applied in- swapped their uncomfortable wetsuits for or- side the pipe to reduce frictional resistance ange overalls, since their shift will begin soon. and allow the gas to fl ow easily through the They will remain on the ship for four weeks, fol- pipeline. On the outside, a plastic layer approx- lowed by three weeks rest at home: 28 working imately fi ve millimeters thick prevents the days, 21 days off. This may sound like an attrac- steel from rusting in the depths of the sea. tive schedule, but every day is tough on board, The completed pipes made in Mülheim ar- always following the same rhythm—12 hours rive by train at the port of Mukran auf Rügen, on, 12 hours off. Sundays are workdays, as are Germany, while those from Vyksa end their Christmas, New Year’s Day and Easter. “We only long rail journey at the Finnish port of Kotka. celebrate Ferragosto if we’re off duty and on There, every day, in factories specially built for land,” says Alferj. Ferragosto, or Assumption this purpose, about 200 of these hefty pipes are Day, on August 15th, is not only the longest cele- fi tted with a concrete shell up to 11 inches thick. brated public holiday in Bella Italia, but it is also Without this shell, the pipeline would be too the highlight of its holiday season. However, the light and would have to be anchored to the sea- Italians on the Castoro Sei are in the minority, bed, at great expense. The concrete doubles AT A GLANCE as most of the workers on the ship, owned by each pipe’s weight to about 23 tons. Italian fi rm Saipem, are from Southeast Asia. Transport ships from Germany, Finland and Russia carry fi nished tubes to the port of Han- 1. Preparing the pipes ko, Finland, as well as to the Swedish ports of The Castoro Sei is one of Now, just as they do every day, two giant cranes Karlskrona and Slite on Gotland. Together with three pipe-laying vessels move on tracks along both sides of the work Mukran and Kotka, there are fi ve storage depots that are building the Baltic deck, steadily lifting pipes, one after the other, from which relatively small transport ships Sea pipeline. from the decks of the transport ships docked constantly restock the Castoro Sei with new alongside the Castoro Sei. Seen from the bridge, pipes. “Because we work all day and night, we 2. the 12-meter-long pipes seem tiny—you very constantly need new supplies,” says De Luca. While the men on board quickly lose your sense of scale here. Only the To ensure this non-stop operation keeps go- weld another piece onto men on the deck using long ropes to pull the ing, most positions on board have several occu- the gas pipeline, the ship pipes into position provide a reference for com- pants. Two men take turns on the boat in the 12- is pulled along towards parison. hour rhythm of work and leisure, while a third giant anchors. The pipes, which have an internal diameter man is resting on land. When, during the course of approximately 1.15 meters, are manufac- of a shift, someone needs to take a break, a 3. tured in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, in stand-by takes over the job. Finally, specialist divers Vyksa, about 350 kilometers east of Moscow, On this day, an area of strong high pressure weld the pipeline sections and in Japan. Measuring about 12 meters long is moving over the Baltic Sea, while one of the together on the seabed. when they leave the steelworks, they can just cranes is starting to haul another pipe to one www.nord-stream.com 15 Perez Alvin is in command of the mighty winches (right). With the help of their arm-thick cables, he pulls the Castoro Sei towards the distant kedge anchors. BOTH PHOTOS: SPEKTRUM DER WISSENSCHAFT / JOACHIM SCHÜRING DER SPEKTRUM PHOTOS: BOTH of the fi rst welding stations. Since the concrete their boat towards the anchor. Once they ar- casing ends a few hand spans away from the rived, the anchor would be hauled aboard and pipe’s extremities, there are only the anti- the arduous routine would start all over again. corrosion coating and the steel walls at each This technique is called kedging, and it is how end. They are mechanically cleaned and pre- the Castoro Sei moves through the Baltic Sea. pared for the welding process with a special Here, however, instead of men pulling on a milling machine. The fi rst step involves two of rope, there are eight diesel engines with more the 12-meter-long pipeline sections being than 30,000 horsepower drawing on a total of joined together using welding machines. Once 12 kedge anchors. As tall as a house and weigh- the liquid metal solidifi es, the seam is exam- ing in at 25 tons, just one of these anchors is ined for the fi rst time, millimeter by millime- heavier than 16 medium-sized cars. At each of ter, using special ultrasound equipment. Even the four corners of the Castoro Sei, winches con- the smallest weaknesses can be reliably detect- nect to three of these giants. The anchors are Huge machines ed this way. If an error is discovered, the shift dropped a long way from the bow of the ship so manager decides whether the damage is repa- as not to endanger the newly laid pipeline. At move huge rable or whether the two pipes should be recy- the rear, they are closer, positioned only a few masses— cled. degrees off the direction of travel. As soon as and yet the another double joint is connected to the pipe- strange goings A medieval method line, the machines reel in the arm-thick steel on are governed A kind of elevator then moves the 24-meter- cables at the rear, so that the boat takes another by a seemingly long, 46-ton section of pipe to the actual pro- 24-meter step backwards, allowing the ever- relaxed routine duction line, dubbed the Firing Line, which runs lengthening pipeline at the front of the ship to through the length of the Castoro Sei. At the drop into the water. The lines on the bow are front end, at the bow of the fl oating factory, the slackened accordingly. If anchors have to be refi nal pipeline sections leave the ship and then, positioned, the monsters are picked up by aux- via a 40-meter-long boom known as the Sting- iliary ships and transported to their new loca- er, dive down into the Baltic Sea. “As this is tak- tion. The vessel also has four propeller pods, or ing place the whole ship moves backwards from nacelles, with which the helmsman fi ne-tune under the pipeline,” says Alferj. This is executed its movements, in a similar way to that em- not with a motorized propeller, as one might ployed on large cruise ships. expect, but in a manner fi rst practiced in medi- Meanwhile, inside the Castoro Sei, three eval times—on river barges, for example. At clamps hold the end of the pipeline in position. that time, workers would row a small boat some They are reminiscent of tank crawler tracks, distance ahead and drop an anchor with a long pressing against the pipe from above and below. rope attached. Crew members back on the barge As soon as another double joint is welded, it trav- would then use the rope to pull themselves and els out of this tank track conveyer belt to the

16 Production Line in the Sea bow, and disappears over the Stinger and into It’s noisy down here and fairly dark. Sparks FACTS the water. The pieces form two huge arches in fl y and bathe the scene in a brilliant light. The the shape of the letter S, before fi nally coming to men wear goggles with black lenses for protec- 1.153 rest at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. “If the sea is tion. Huge machines move huge masses—and meters—diameter of the 80 meters deep, the pipe only reaches the ground yet the strange goings on are governed by what gas pipes. at a distance of 350 meters,” says De Luca. seems to be an unusually relaxed routine. Ev- Over this length the supposedly rigid steel eryone who works here has his place and knows 202,000 and concrete pipe becomes as fl exible as a long exactly what he has to do. Only a few dozen The number of concrete- straw. Even a skyscraper can sway back and men have welded all of these massive pipes to coated pipes being laid. forth by up to a meter in a storm, so much so create a more than 1,000-kilometer-long pipe- that its inhabitants sometimes get seasick. The- line with clockwork precision. Errors are rare, 2,150,000 oretically, the pipeline could be laid out on the and accidents even rarer. tons of steel resting on bottom of the Baltic in a circle four kilometers Just as health and safety are scrupulously the Baltic seabed. in diameter without it being damaged. In com- monitored here—with an elaborate network of parison, the stresses that occur along the nar- roads with traffi c lights and signal horns—there 7,400,000,000 row S-curve while the pipe is lowered to the sea- is also no compromise when it comes to quality euros—the cost of the bed are much lower, although this does not control. The intention is for gas to fl ow through Baltic Sea pipeline. mean the process is not continuously moni- the pipeline for 50 years. If a leak were to be dis- tored and reviewed. covered after the pipeline begins operation, the repairs could cost millions. That is why the With clockwork precision three welds now undergo a further ultrasound Every few minutes the Castoro Sei pulls itself examination designed to spot any microscopic back another 24 meters. “The fi rst weld takes irregularities—potential targets for dangerous fi ve or six minutes,” explains De Luca. Then the rust. How often do the alarm bells sound at this pipeline, with its new end section, moves a fur- stage? With his usual enthusiasm when explain- ther 24 meters. While a new double joint is at- ing the project’s technical details, De Luca says, tached, the most recent connection, still glow- “If that happens, then the weld certainly gets ing, is welded a second time. Again, it takes a few repaired.” It is very rare, but sometimes double minutes, and then the pipeline rolls along an- joints do have to be replaced. other 24 meters and gets a third weld. The pro- But today everything is running smoothly. cess resembles a conveyor belt production line. Another 24 meters of the pipeline moves one

Inside the pipe-laying ship, the tank’s track-like conveyor belts keep a ﬁ rm grip on the pipeline.

www.nord-stream.com 17 SPEKTRUM DER WISSENSCHAFT / JOACHIM SCHÜRING DER SPEKTRUM The Castoro Sei at Work

In April 2010 Nord Stream started building the fi rst of the two tubes which will make up the pipeline. Taking on the lion's share of the construction work, the Castoro Sei began its mammoth task off the island of Gotland. CRANE Two revolving cranes travel on rails on the main deck. Each can lift up to The route stretches for 1,224 kilometers across the Baltic seabed, from 200 pipes a day onto the barge. Vyborg in Russia to Lubmin, near Greifswald in Germany. Nord Stream commissioned the Italian company Saipem, a leader in the fi eld of offshore projects, to take charge of the construction. About 70 percent of the pipeline will be installed by the Castoro Sei, an anchored pipe-laying ship. In the Gulf of Finland, an area known for a high traffi c volume and historical munitions dumps, the Solitaire is used by Allseas, which operates without using anchors. In shallower waters nearer the German coast the Saipem vessel Castoro Dieci is used, a ship with an extra fl at hull. Each ship is a fl oating factory: the pipes are delivered by cargo ships, welded together on board and then laid onto the seabed. Soon the pipeline will be carrying 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas every year—enough to meet the demands of 26 million European households. The receiving station in Lubmin will send the natural gas on into the European gas pipeline system, through which it will reach consumers in countries such as Germany, Denmark, France and Great Britain.

STINGER The Stinger provides support to the pipeline as it is lowered to its designated place on the seabed. POST-PIPELAYING SURVEY As it touches down on the seabed, the pipeline is monitored to ensure that it is correctly positioned.

ROV A remotely operated S-CURVE vehicle (ROV) ﬁ tted As the pipeline is lowered to the with sensors and seabed, it forms an “S” shape, instruments including which prevents it from being cameras transmits damaged during installation. information from the ROCK PLACEMENT seabed directly to the The strategic placement survey vessel. of coarse gravel is necessary in some locations along the route to create a stable base on which the pipeline can rest.

18 Production Line in the Sea Finland A FLOATING FACTORY Vyborg The Castoro Sei is the semi-submersible responsible for Norway Sweden laying around 70 percent of the Nord Stream pipeline.

• Dimensions: 152 meters long, 70.5 meters wide Estonia Russia • Draft: 14 meters • Laying rate: around 2.5 kilometers per day km Latvia

Denmark 1,224 Lithuania Russia Lubmin near Greifswald

PIPE CARRIER VESSEL Germany Poland Pipes weighing about 22 tons each are shipped to the laybarge from ﬁ ve stockyards strategically located along the route.

HELIPAD Personnel is transferred to and from the vessel via helicopter, which lands on the helipad at the stern of the Castoro Sei.

PRE-PIPELAYING SURVEY Though the seabed was surveyed during the route-planning phase, a pre-pipelaying survey performed before pipeline installation conﬁ rms past data and ensures pipelay safety.

PONTOONS The Castoro Sei ﬂ oats on twin pontoons located below the water surface. The pontoons can be submerged by adding ANCHOR PATTERN ballast water, making the vessel more During construction the Castoro Sei is positioned by means of a stable in turbulent seas. 12-point mooring system. This system enables it to maintain accurate positioning. Each of the 12 mooring lines, or anchor lines, are controlled by a tension winch weighing 124 tons. The vessel also features thrusters to further ensure precise positioning.

Pipeline H Proposed Pipeline Route

www.nord-stream.com 19 KIRCHERBURKHARDT stage closer to the end of its production line. ship will be ready and waiting on the exact same Here, two workers wrap plastic sheeting around spot at the end of the storm. the welded ends of the two pipes and heat it with Work restarts even before the wind dies a gas burner. The canvas shrinks and seals the down again. An unmanned, remote-controlled area between the concrete shells. Finally, they underwater robot dives to collect the loose pipe- take a steel plate that fi ts between the concrete line end, picks up the steel cable and brings it casings of one pipe and the next, fi x it with steel back to the Castoro Sei. The pipe is then hauled straps and fi ll the cavity with plastic foam aboard with the help of winches. About fi ve through a small hole. Now there are only a few hours later the steel cap is removed, and when meters to go until the still-warm section is forev- the wind has fi nally died down the men in the er immersed in the Baltic Sea. Firing Line once again get on with their work. A Pig on Tour Meanwhile, a few fl oors higher, Alferj ob- “If everything goes well, we can manage more serves the horizon carefully. The weather report than four kilometers of pipeline in one day,” Intelligent inspection has just announced that the sun may soon dis- says Alferj. “Even on average, it is still three devices, called PIGs appear behind clouds and that a storm could be kilometers.” (Pipeline Inspection brewing. “Storms usually only cause us real Gauges) are regularly sent problems in autumn and winter,” he explains With high pressure through the gas line to in English, with a strong Italian intonation. If through the Baltic Sea search for internal the waves get higher than three or three and a Construction work on the fi rst pipeline lasted corrosion or leaks (pic- half meters, pontoons deep under the water from April 2010 until early May 2011. In June tured). External checks on may no longer hold the Castoro Sei perfectly 2011, the crew of the Castoro Sei began laying the laid pipes are done still. In such a case, laying the long pipeline be- the second pipe, which is scheduled for comple- with the aid of remote- comes more diffi cult, although not impossible. tion by May 2012. About 80 percent of the line controlled underwater “We just work a bit slower,” says Alferj. lies directly on the Baltic seabed. In some pla- vehicles, or ROVs Only at wind force eight, when gusts on the ces, the uneven ocean fl oor had to be levelled (Remotely-Operated work deck reach speeds of over 60 kilometers out with gravel in order to ensure stability. In Vehicles). per hour, will Alferj order a halt to proceedings. shallow waters, such as the Bay of Greifswald, or When this happens technicians weld a large in places where the pipeline crosses busy ship- steel cap on the open end of the pipeline to pre- ping routes, trenches are dug to prevent any vent water from getting in. Then the men secure possible damage from a nautical accident. a ten-centimeter-thick steel cable and lower the After completion, gas from a pumping sta- closed pipeline to the seabed. “The whole pro- tion in Russia will be forced into the tube at high cess takes about three or four hours,” says De pressure. On account of the low temperatures The fi ne Italian way: In the Luca. That is why reliable weather forecasts are and high pressure on the seabed, the gas will be galley of the Castoro Sei the so important. The men on the Castoro Sei have able to fl ow at a much higher pressure than waiter places great emphasis to have this maneuver completed well before would be possible on most on-shore pipelines, on a stylish appearance. the storm hits. If everything goes smoothly, the and so Nord Stream’s developers were able to do without having to build intermediate pumping stations along the line. Nevertheless, the gas pressure falls continuously over the 1,224-kilometer route from Russia to Germany, which is why the pipes that make up the fi rst 300 kilometers across the Gulf of Finland are made from 41-millimeter-thick steel and can withstand an operating pressure of up to 220 bar. For comparison, the maximum pressure of a car tire is 3.0 bar. When the gas fi nally reaches Germany, the pressure will have dropped to 110 bar. Here, the steel walls are only 27 millimeters thick. Both strands of the Baltic pipeline consist of three sections of varying wall thickness. They are laid independently and only connected after each section of work is completed, in the depths of the cold water at the bottom of the sea.

20 Production Line in the Sea BOTH PHOTOS: NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM PHOTOS: BOTH Scandi Arctic

Remotely-Operated Vehicle Diving Bell

Pipe-Handling Frame Lift Bag

Welding Habitat

Emergency Gas Quad KIRCHERBURKHARDT

The process is now complete for the fi rst of process was for the divers to seal the underwa- The Baltic Sea pipeline is laid the twin pipelines. But beforehand, there was ter seam. in several sections. Under- a moment of truth. A special ship tested All of this takes a few weeks. It’s a long time, water robots position the whether the line on the seabed was watertight during which the specialists live under high pipe ends near to each other. by pumping purifi ed seawater into the respec- pressure, in the truest sense of the phrase, in Then the Scandi Arctic tive sections and increasing the pressure to cabins where the atmospheric pressure is as lowers heavy equipment into the maximum allowable limit—far higher high as in the depths of the Baltic Sea. When the depths, including the than the planned operating pressure the pipes their work is done, huge compressors pump the welding station, which will will have to endure later. Only when the gaug- seawater out of the completed pipeline. A steady permanently connect the es showed no drop in the pressure after 24 stream of air ensures that the tube is completely pipes together. hours were the sections joined together. This, dry before the gas starts fl owing. too, is a masterpiece of engineering. After a re- That is scheduled to begin at the end of 2011, mote-controlled underwater robot removed when the fi rst of the two pipes in the line will the steel cap at the end of the section and become operational, and high-ranking politi- sealed it off with a stopper, a huge underwater cians, business leaders and other VIPs from all bell was lowered to a depth of between 80 and of the participating countries will make their 110 meters, drained and placed in position on way to Lubmin, near Greifswald. For it is here, the two adjacent ends of the pipes. Once all in this spa resort of 2,000 inhabitants, that the the water was squeezed out and the steel pipe pipeline comes ashore, and where, amid a great ends were dry, several divers made their way deal of media attention, they will celebrate the into the depths—where they carried out ex- completion of this remarkable project. But then actly the same process as their counterparts Captain Domenico Alferj and his engineer Ar- in the heart of the Castoro Sei. They joined the cangelo De Luca head off on yet another long ends of the pipes using a welding robot that journey to lay another pipeline somewhere in was controlled and monitored by the Scandi the world. Arctic—a special ship that has all the tools necessary to move the pipe ends around, lift, cut Roland Knauer is a freelance journalist and photogra- and weld them together. The fi nal step of the pher from Lehnin in Brandenburg. www.nord-stream.com 21 A Burning Passion… After oil and coal, natural gas is the world’s most important fossil fuel. Within the space of a few …for Gas decades it may move up to fi rst place. But where does the fuel actually come from? And how does it get to our kitchen?

By Hanno Charisius

A common sight, but by the time the gas reaches the kitchen stove it has been on a journey of thousands of miles—and many millions of years.

22 Feuer und Flamme … für Gas ISTOCKPHOTO / STEPHAN DRESCHER / STEPHAN ISTOCKPHOTO n one way gas is like water: you simply turn from the 1970s. But sooner or later, one imper- I the tap on and it fl ows. But its origin and how meable layer of stone blocked the gas’s upward AT A GLANCE A Burning Passion… it gets there stays well hidden behind the kitch- journey. It is here, in these traps, that the huge en wall. Whenever we use the fuel, for cooking, amounts of oil and gas fi nally gathered and heating or to generate electricity, the gas has al- were ultimately discovered by geologists in the 1. The Baltic Sea gas pipeline ways been on a very long journey—through late 1960s. …for Gas will carry gas from the space and time. In the near future, once the Bal- Random as the geological circumstances that Siberian Yuzhno Russkoye tic Sea pipeline is completed, that journey could created them, oil and gas deposits are spread gas fi eld—one of the begin in Siberia, at the Yuzhno Russkoye gas out arbitrarily across the world. The countries largest in the world—to fi eld. Part of the gas extracted from this reserve in the Middle East were particularly lucky— Europe. will fl ow through a network of long-distance even more so than Russia. Northern Africa has pipes to Vyborg on Russia’s Baltic Sea coast, reasonable reserves, while Western Europe’s ap- more than 2,500 kilometers away. From there pear somewhat modest in comparison. They are 2. The creation of the fossil the gas will pass through the Nord Stream pipe- far from suffi cient for Europe to meet its own fuel took many millions of line to Greifswald on the German Baltic coast, needs. And this is why Germany for example years and happened where it will join the European gas network and, gets almost 90 percent of its supplies from because of a series of eventually, be delivered to someone’s kitchen abroad—about a third of which comes from the geological coincidences. stove. large Russian gas fi elds, especially those in Sibe- The gas originates from around 1,000 me- ria. Other major suppliers include Norway, with ters under the Siberian permafrost. There is so 29 percent, and the Netherlands, with 20 per- 3. The Baltic Sea gas pipeline much natural gas stored in the porous sand- cent. At the very most, 13 percent can be ob- comes onto land at Lub- stone there that Germany could meet its needs tained from domestic sources, which are main- min, northern Germany. from it for decades. These deposits have oc- ly located in Lower Saxony and off Germany’s From here the gas fl ows curred due to a variety of geological accidents— North Sea coast. However, in recent years the into the European gas and the passing of a great deal of time. In the natural pressure in the gas fi elds has decreased, network. late Jurassic period, around 150 million years reducing the yield signifi cantly. ago, Siberia was covered by a warm, shallow sea. Whereas nowadays temperatures in the sum- Simply burned off mer get up to 40 degrees Celsius and as low as When the systematic extraction of petroleum minus 60 in winter, at that time the Yuzhno began, some 150 years ago, gas was a trouble- Russkoye region knew only tropical conditions. some and dangerous byproduct that bubbled Summers in Western Siberia were warm and out of the drill holes like carbon dioxide from a wet, winters warm and dry—just like the Baha- lemonade bottle—or even like a shaken cham- mas today, where the water laps gently onto the pagne bottle. Violent explosions, sometimes palm-lined beaches. The ocean currents were sending entire oil wells into the air, were not un- weak and the water hardly circulated. This led common. As a result the risky gas was captured, to oxygen concentrations decreasing rapidly at transported some distance away and then sim- depth. Dead organisms sank to the ocean fl oor ply burned off. Evidence of this can still be seen and were unable to decompose. Over millions at night, with gas fl ares betraying the fact that, Around of years they formed a steadily growing layer of for technical or economic reasons, some natural sludge. The shallow sea silted up and the black gas deposits remain unused. Nonetheless, its 1.5 billion gas deposits eventually disappeared under ever- value is undisputed and global demand is rising lighters are thicker layers of sediment. steadily: Its share of the fossil fuel market is al- sold in Europe As a result of large-scale tectonic processes, ready around 25 percent. Only oil and coal have every year. during which entire mountain ranges grew, the larger sales volumes. To fill them sludge ended up at a depth of four to six kilome- But it is still not enough just to pipe the gas with natural ters, where temperatures were around 180 de- being extracted from the reserves into a tube gas from grees Celsius. Eventually, due to complicated and wait until it reaches the homes of the end Siberia, you chemical processes, the dead organisms turned, users thousands of kilometers away. Transport- would need at fi rst, into oil and then later into gas. These hy- ing gas is far more expensive and complicated drocarbons were then pushed out of their “par- than oil and coal. The pressure in above-ground to open the ent rock” and, due to their low density, literally pipelines sinks so much over long distances that Baltic Sea pipe- squeezed towards the Earth’s surface—much compressor stations have to be built every 100 line for about like a big drop of wax in the colorful lava lamps to 200 kilometers to ensure optimal transport 45 minutes

www.nord-stream.com 23 largest consumers (right). and households are the Norway (middle). Factories supply from Russia and example, buys most of its the world (left). Germany, for randomly distributed all over natural gas deposits are As with all natural reserves, layers. able in “traps” imperme- below upwards—before gathering parent rock and moved squeezed out from the oil and gas. This was then had been transformed into temperature levels, the slime pressure and increasing in the depths, where, under result tectonic of movements sediments emerged as a sea became land, the black layer of foul slime. After the years ago, creating a huge 150 some sea starved million ashallow, of bottom oxygen- ganisms. They sank to the microor-was dead myriad made Siberian oil and gas The raw material which Percentage share gas of reserves shalegas), (without 2007 Qatar 14 Iran 15 Russia 26 Geological Science and Raw Materials 2007 WHO HAS HOW MUCH? Source: GermanFederal Office for Quelle: BundesverbandderEnergie- undWasserwirtschaft (BDEW),Berlin Anteile derVerbrauchergruppen amErdgasabsatz inProzent, 2010 Dienstleistungen Gewerbe, Handel, 12,4 Fernwärme 5,4 Industrie 37,0 Rest of the Rest of World WER VERBRAUCHTWIEVIEL Saudi Arabia Kazakhstan Venezuela aboard special ships. Cooled down to minus 160 160 minus to down Cooled ships. special aboard consumers reach also can gas wide, too sea the coast. Baltic the from inland kilometers 100 some station a reaches gas the until needed are stations compressor intermediate no that means This bar. 220 to up at pipeline Sea Baltic the enter will gas pressure, of ﬂ bar 90 with pipes ows above-ground in gas Whereas wall. steel of thickness same the with pressure, internal er high- much a at pumped be to pipe the in gas the pipeline on from the the sea seabed water allows a on load pressure high The sea. the under laid cent of the energy stored in the gas pumped pumped gas pipes. the the through in stored energy the of cent per- ten to up of be can loss length this kilometers, pipeline 2,500 a For energy. of lot a quite consume compressors gas these And conditions. Nigeria Algeria Statistisches Bundesamt If the distance is too great for pipelines or or pipelines for great too is distance the If pipelines to apply not does drawback This USA UAE OIL AND GAS AND OIL GAS AND OIL GAS AND OIL OF RESERVES OF RESERVES OF RESERVES SLIME LAYER SLIME LAYER SLIME LAYER 24 IS CREATED IS CREATED IS CREATED BUILDS UP BUILDS UP BUILDS UP BUILDS CREATION CREATION CREATION 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 2. 2. 2. 3. 3. 3. 1. 1. 1. Germany 13 and others Great Britain Denmark, 6 Russia 32 WHERE GERMANY’S GAS GERMANY’S COMESWHERE FROM Source: Statistical BP Review of World 2010 Energy Stromversorger Kraftwerke der stone layers Porous stone layers Porous stone layers Porous stone layers Impermeable stone layers Impermeable stone layers Impermeable Haushalte Lands of origin,Lands of inpercent, 2009 13,4 31,8 Natural gas Natural gas Natural gas WO SICH DIE GASRESERVENWO DIE SICH BEFINDEN 40,6 Nordamerika 4,9 Zentral- undSüdamerika 4,3 Mittlerer Osten Nachgewiesene Weltreserven inBillionenKubikmetern, 2009 Shallow,tropical seawithlittleornodeepcurrents Shallow,tropical seawithlittleornodeepcurrents Shallow,tropical seawithlittleornodeepcurrents oil oil oil Weltweit: 187,49 Billionen Kubikmeter Quelle: Statistical BP Review of World 2010 Energy Netherlands Oxygen-starved area Oxygen-starved area Oxygen-starved area Norway porous stone layers porous stone layers porous stone layers 20 29 Rising to higher,Rising to higher,Rising to higher,Rising are in Germany. About 80 percent of the world’s world’s the of percent 80 About Germany. in are which of cargo—none their unload can tankers LNG where ports European dozen a about are only there addition, In households. million 26 Nord the for of energy enough supply will tubes pipeline Stream two the all, After Siberia. three least at from pipeline the with compete to year port a times European a visit to have would them of one single every exist—and ers for ayear. oil—enough to heat 80,000 around households crude of super liters million today’s 300 about hold comparison, tankers By year. whole a for gas natural with households 40,000 least at (liqueﬁsupplygas)—enoughLNG to natural ed of meters gas cubic 210,000 to up allows carry to tankers This 640-fold. volume its ducing re- thereby liquid, becomes it Celsius degrees Conversion hydrocarbons, of oilandgas created Conversion hydrocarbons, of oilandgas created Conversion hydrocarbons, of oilandgas created Currently, only about 200 of these LNG tank- LNG these of 200 about only Currently, Pressuretemperature and increase. Pressuretemperature and increase. Pressuretemperature and increase. Business,trades, services 12.4 heating Long-distance 5.4 Industry 37.0 Asien undAustralien Europa undEurasien Layers movementtectonic and silt of Layers movementtectonic and silt of Layers movementtectonic and silt of Water Industries(BDEW), BerlinState Statistics Office Source: German Federal Association and Energy of Reserves buildupin Reserves buildupin Reserves buildupin forcethe slimedown very deep forcethe slimedown very deep forcethe slimedown very deep geological trapsgeological trapsgeological trapsgeological Natural gas useinGermany, inpercent, 2010 Afrika WHO USESHOW MUCH? 33,7 8,7 7,9 Layer slime of Layer slime of Layer slime of sink to the seabed to sink the seabed to sink the seabed to sink Dead organisms Dead organisms Dead organisms Electricity companies’Electricity WO GAS DEUTSCHLAND BEKOMMT Deutschland 13 und andere Großbritannien Dänemark, 6 Russland 32 power stations

Quelle: Statistical BP Review of World 2010 Energy Households Erdgas nachHerkunftsländern in Prozent, 2009

13.4 31.8 ALL GRAPHICS BY SPEKTRUM DER WISSENSCHAFT / EMDE-GRAFIK Niederlande Norwegen 20 29 natural gas that is shipped this way goes to regions either difﬁ cult or impossible to reach by pipeline, such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Yuzhno Russkoye One of Europe’s main arteries The place where the tubes of the Baltic pipeline emerge from the sea onto land is fairly unspec- tacular. There is not much more to see of the Vyborg RUSSIA huge construction at the small seaside town of St. Petersburg Lubmin than a few pipes and valves. Here the Si- berian gas is fed into two lines, which run south- Torzhok ward and westward through Europe. The few On the way to Europe, the

main lines that connect the individual states Lubmin Siberian gas fl ows across with each other feed a denser grid, operated by near Greifswald Russia to Vyborg and from GERMANY regional utility companies, which, in turn, there through the Baltic branches off and fi nally reaches cities and towns. pipeline to Germany. These companies control the last part of the network, the fi ne-mesh which connects to each household. In Germany this gas supply capillary system includes some 370,000 kilometers of THE YUZHNO RUSSKOYE RESERVES low-pressure lines, as thin as a garden hose. The Baltic Sea pipeline will be one of the Discovered: 1969 main arteries in Europe’s energy supply network—and it will become even more important The gas fi eld covers an area of around 83 by 16 kilometers. in the future. According to calculations by the It is one of the largest reserves in the world. International Energy Agency (IEA), by the year 2080 natural gas will have a market share of Geologists estimate the recoverable reserves at around 1 trillion over 50 percent and become the world’s most (1,000 billion) cubic meters. By comparison, Germany annually signifi cant fossil fuel. consumes around 100, Russia about 460 and the United States Demand in Europe is increasing even more nearly 660 billion cubic meters. rapidly. According to various calculations, as early as 2030, the countries of the Union will The gas, gas condensate and oil are extracted from depths of need to import 150 to 200 billion cubic meters between 760 and 3,300 meters. more gas than they do today—partly because of a decline in domestic production and also because consumption is rising steadily. In the fi rst fuels when combusted. Quick-start gas power six months of 2011 alone, Russia, Europe’s main stations are also best able to complement inter- gas supplier, increased its deliveries by 26 per- mittent renewable energy sources such as wind cent. If that rate continues the Baltic Sea pipe- and solar power. And so the Baltic Sea pipeline will not be able to fi ll the gap and it would line—as both industry specialists and environ- only deliver 11 percent of the projected demand mentalists agree—has become a bridge to a new in 2030. So, this means new challenges for pipe- era. We are in a time in which the appetite for line builders, who will have to keep expanding energy continues to rise while targets to reduce Europe’s main arteries. carbon dioxide emissions also have to be met. This also applies to Germany, where, after Energy from solar and wind power plants alone the reactor accident in Fukushima, the issue of is not enough to manage this tricky balancing supply security has become enormously signif- act—for now, anyway. Until that time comes, icant. Now that the policy of phasing out nucle- the gas from Siberia is the most sensible com- ar energy seems truly irreversible, the depen- promise. The pipeline was designed to last for dence on fossil fuels has increased—at least 50 years. Will that be enough time? until renewable energy sources become suffi - ciently productive. Here, gas plays a vital role as Hanno Charisius is a freelance journalist based in it emits far less carbon dioxide than other fossil Munich. www.nord-stream.com 25 At Any Price? Europe is looking to Russia’s vast reserves of natural gas to quench its ever-growing thirst for energy, and plans for further pipelines connecting the two continents are in the works. But as the global gas markets undergo unprecedented changes, new competition from providers in the United States, Turkmenistan, Qatar and else- where is emerging. What will these changes mean for the future of Europe’s energy supply?

By Daniel Heldmann

AT A GLANCE ven before the gas begins to fl ow through Germany’s phasing out of nuclear power. Fuel E the fi rst of Nord Stream’s twin pipelines, from Russia could not only help provide the ne- 1. some are already seeking additional energy so- cessary base load, but could also fi ll the gaps in Europe’s gas demand is lutions to enhance Europe’s power supply. “Of the power supply caused by the phase-out. “Gas- rising, while the yield course Germany will need more gas in the com- fi red power plants are particularly well suited from its own sources is ing years,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel to the for the energy revolution, because they are easy declining. The result: an Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in July 2011 to combine with renewable energies,” says Clau- ever-growing shortfall. during governmental consultations between dia Kemfert, the Head of the Energy, Transport Berlin and Moscow, just a few months before and Environment department at the German In- 2. the start of operations of the Nord Stream pipe- stitute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin. Because of its huge shale line. The gas consumption trend in Germany, as “They are fl exible, because they can increase and gas reserves the USA has well as in the whole European Union, supports decrease energy production quickly and easily. almost no need for im- the Chancellor’s claim. Over the next 20 years, In addition, they generate signifi cantly fewer ports. This has led to annual demand is predicted to increase from greenhouse gas emissions.” natural gas being abun- around 550 million cubic meters today to more Europe is in the geographically fortunate po- dantly available on the than 620 million. Since EU gas production is ex- sition of having some of the planet’s largest na- world market. pected to halve during the same period, Europe tural gas deposits located relatively close by. will be increasingly dependent on imports— “Russia has the largest gas reserves in the world, 3. and Russian reserves are among the largest in followed by Iran and Qatar,” says Kemfert. Many Europe is trying to diversi- the world. So what could be better than to bring countries do not use their reserves at all, but fy its gas supply—and the supply in line with this demand? simply burn them off, as is the case in the Middle may build more pipelines By 2030, without supplies from Russia, East. “So far, the region has mainly concentrated to Russia and Central Asia. Europe’s energy defi cit could increase to nearly on oil production and export,” says Harald An- 190 million cubic meters per year. In addition, druleit, from the Department of Economic Geo- the region will be facing the consequences of logy of Energy Resources of the Federal Institute

26 At Any Price? At Any Price? NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM

for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in from a market perspective, these countries were While it looks just like the Hannover. “It is only recently that infrastructure by far the best providers. Moscow subway system, this for gas production has been created in some are- Until recently, all parties benefi ted from is the circuit diagram of the as, such as in Qatar.” these kinds of contracts. There have been long- Russian gas supplier However, gas is far more diffi cult to trans- standing and strong trade relations, especially Gazprom’s control center. port than petroleum. The options are pipelines with Russian companies, some with contracts for From here the complex or liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) carriers. “At a di- up to 28 years. Kemfert emphasizes the network of pipelines is stance of 3,000 kilometers, the transport of li- special relationship with the commodity giants monitored around the clock. quefi ed gas is cheaper than through pipelines,” in the East, but also points out other aspects. explains Andruleit. However, Germany has no “These close contacts provide the necessary sta- ports where these ships can unload liquid gas. bility, but do also have a downside,” she says. While the construction of a terminal in the Jade- “Gas prices in Germany are contractually bound Weser-Port Wilhelmshaven specifi cally for this to the oil price.” And while the cost of oil soars, purpose has been discussed for years, whether there is also an abundance of gas available— it will ever happen is unclear. Instead, the gas with the corresponding consequences. “The pri- has to be fed into appropriate facilities in Bel- ce on the international markets is much lower gium, France or Italy before being sent into the than what we currently pay,” Kemfert explains. European pipeline network and fi nally pumped The reason for these changes in the gas mar- into the German Federal Republic. Each of these ket is attributed to newly developed energy sour- steps generates further costs that drive up the ces. “The successful exploitation of so-called fi nal price. shale gas in the USA has changed the global situ- Germany produces only 13 percent of its own ation,” says Andruleit. “There is currently an energy and currently draws its natural gas main- oversupply of natural gas.” This has come about ly from Russia, Norway and the Netherlands. Be- because new technological developments are fa- cause of favorable long-term supply agreements, cilitating fuel extraction from deposits that were

www.nord-stream.com 27 not only relying on Nord Stream,” says Kemfert. OIL DETERMINES THE PRICE OF GAS As yet, the Nabucco project only exists on paper, ENVIRON is proud to support Nord Stream’s despite enjoying political support from the high- Since 1965, gas prices in many countries have been closely linked to the est circles. Joschka Fischer, former German Fo- environmental and social management team price of oil. This is the result of international cross-industry agreements reign Minister, advises RWE and OMV (Austria), between producers, importers and suppliers, some of which were made the companies involved in the consortium. decades ago. Their aim is to protect investments in production facilities Nabucco’s construction is expected to begin and pipelines and prevent customers from permanently switching to in 2013. By 2017, the line could be carrying natu- cheaper energy sources. It’s because of these agreements that, every ral gas from the rich gas fi elds around the Caspi- three to six months, gas prices follow those of oil. an Sea. Competition between providers would Natural gas is also traded on the so-called spot markets—stock ex- increase and prices should fall. However, it is changes where delivery and payment of the raw material take place still uncertain how much gas Nabucco is likely to immediately after sale. Owing to high supply levels, these prices are deliver. Producers such as Azerbaijan and Turk- currently lower than those in most of the contracts, which were negoti- menistan are considered to be unreliable sup- ated some time ago. pliers, and doing business with Iran is currently In the United States and Great Britain, the price maintenance agree- either diffi cult or politically undesirable. Also, ment system is no longer in use. However, both countries are now Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are believed to discussing its re-introduction, since extreme fl uctuations in gas prices have sealed large-scale supply deals with China may compromise planning security for some large consumers. Strictly and Russia, thereby limiting the amounts availa- speaking, this fi xing of gas to oil prices is effectively a cartel-like action ble to sell to Europe for the time being. and has been deemed unlawful by the German Federal Court and Federal In addition, the explosion of costs for the Constitutional Court. The practice has not been stopped entirely by these construction and operation of Nabucco are judgments, but passing on increases in purchase prices to customers is only lawful if the overall costs have also increased. causing headaches for those responsible. “Na- bucco will cost 12 to 15 billion euros,” said EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger at an energy industry conference held by the Forum minimally profi table in the past, but which have Institute in May 2011 in Stuttgart. The operator become fi nancially attractive due to rising prices had originally said it would cost seven billion worldwide. Shale gas is now being offered so euros. By comparison, the Nord Stream Baltic cheaply in the US that it could even squeeze im- Sea pipeline is expected to have a total fi nal ported liquefi ed gas out of the market. It is belie- cost of 7.4 billion euros. Nabucco also faces fur- ved that over the next 30 years the US will incre- ther possible competition in the form of South ase its production capacity considerably. Accor- Stream—a pipeline stretching under the Black ding to a study by Amy Myers Jaffe and her Sea to Southern Europe and Austria, with a se- colleagues at the Baker Institute at Rice Universi- cond line to Italy. South Stream would bypass ty in Houston, by 2040, more than 280 million the transit countries of Belarus and Ukraine cubic meters of gas will fl ow daily from the de- and their associated reliability issues, through In 1970 the EU posits. “The geopolitical implications of this in- which the gas supply to the south and sou- was almost crease in production in the USA will be enor- theast of the EU currently travels. However, entirely able to mous,” writes Myers Jaffe. “Alternative ways to this project is still only in the planning stages. improve energy security in Europe and a much In contrast, the fi rst of Nord Stream’s two meet its gas larger supply generally may see the infl uence of pipelines will be supplying gas from Vyborg in needs of the Russian or other providers diminish,” she Russia to Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpom- 100 billion says, since suppliers who had previously sold to mern by the fall of 2011. Some 40 years after the cubic meters per the US are likely to look for new customers. As a fi rst natural gas contract was made with the then Photo © Nord Stream year on its own. result, Russia’s share of the European gas market Soviet Union in 1970, this pipeline marks the be- Annual con- could shrink from 27 percent in 2009 to half that ginning of a new chapter in German-Russian Bringing clarity to issues at the intersection of science, business and policy. sumption is now in 2040—but with total demand increasing sig- trade relations. Back then the deal was for 500 nifi cantly. million cubic meters annually, whereas today 500 billion Since 1982 ENVIRON has helped clients manage their most demanding environmental, health and safety challenges. Furthermore, the EU is searching for other that much gas could fl ow through the Nord cubic meters— supply channels to keep its options as open as Stream pipeline in just over three days. Our interdisciplinary network of more than 1000 consultants supports global clients from 80 offices in 18 countries. of which 60 per- possible, such as the the Nabucco pipeline, which Contact: Neil Daetwyler [email protected] +44 20 7478 9800 Joachim Schmidtke [email protected] +49 89 1392 8320 cent has to be would run from Central Asia, through Turkey Daniel Heldmann is a freelance journalist imported and south Eastern Europe to Austria. “Europe is in Nuremburg.

environcorp.com 28 At Any Price?

NordStrmSciFiPRNT_0811.indd 1 15/08/2011 17:34 ENVIRON is proud to support Nord Stream’s environmental and social management team

Photo © Nord Stream

Bringing clarity to issues at the intersection of science, business and policy.

Since 1982 ENVIRON has helped clients manage their most demanding environmental, health and safety challenges. Our interdisciplinary network of more than 1000 consultants supports global clients from 80 offices in 18 countries.

Contact: Neil Daetwyler [email protected] +44 20 7478 9800 Joachim Schmidtke [email protected] +49 89 1392 8320

environcorp.com www.nord-stream.com 29

NordStrmSciFiPRNT_0811.indd 1 15/08/2011 17:34 “ I see the pipeline as a stabilizing factor” Will the Baltic Sea pipeline make Germany too dependent on Russian gas? We asked political scientist Alexander Rahr of the German Foreign Policy Society

Mr. Rahr, are we making ourselves depen- do of Germany. Russians consider Germany to dent on Russia with the Baltic Sea pipeline or be by far the most agreeable modernization are we simply binding the country closer to us? partner and role model in terms of economic That’s the key question! My ideal vision is a mu- development. There are two clearly contrasting tual dependency. It is fi ne for it to be a strong schools of thought in Germany: Many believe dependency, but it must be equal. Russia has that building Europe without Russia is impossi- the resources—and we have the technology to ble. They are grateful for the German reunifi ca- extract them, refi ne them on site and, together, tion and do everything they can to support Rus- to sell them. It’s not like we are a colonial power sia. They also believe that Russia is a natural exerting control over resources. Also, Russia is partner of the West and the Germans, because no longer a colonial power that can decide the bottom line is that there has been a lot of which of its neighbors gets their gas and which good experience with gas trading between the doesn’t. It’s more about partnership. At the mo- countries for the last 40 years. The result of this ment we are talking about partnerships in raw collaboration is the Nord Stream pipeline. On materials and energy, which will turn into alli- the other hand, many Germans have a highly ances as trust builds. critical view of Russia, because the country— Russia and Germany are How would you describe the German- unlike Poland—has dared to resist Western lib- good partners, says the Russian relationship of today? eralization. political scientist Alexander There is a certain imbalance. From surveys we Do you think that the pipeline will help to Rahr (left) in conversation know that in Germany itself, far fewer people improve East-West relations in the long term? with Hanno Charisius. have a positive image of Russia than Russians The gas pipeline will soon become a part of everyday life and, before long, very little will be written about it. Sooner or later everything will calm down and then discussions about other pipelines will help to accelerate European inte- gration. The Baltic Sea pipeline started as a Euro- pean project, but has ended up being, above all, a German-Russian project. How must the rest of Europe feel about Germany’s new role as the “gas station”? We are not the big controller, but rather a freight station. For some, we will become for Europe’s gas what Rotterdam has long been for oil. The Netherlands couldn’t use that oil to exert pressure. I see the pipeline as a stabilizing factor. This gives us some leverage on Russia which the other countries don’t have. We can provide more security. We can mod- erate. I think this task will suit us well. We

JAN-PETER BOENINGJAN-PETER should have done this from the start, anyway,

30 “I see the pipeline as a stabilizing factor” rather than set our hopes solely on the Europe- an Union, which does work sometimes, but not always. I think it’s important that countries with a tradition of exchange with Russia take a leading role in ensuring Europe’s energy security. Do you think the other countries’ fears have been adequately dealt with by Germany? I think so, but a few more political gestures certainly could have been made—such as inviting a Polish representative to the ﬁ rst strategic meeting. But we also have to see that at that time some countries, especially in Central East- ern Europe, weren’t ready to start a dialogue yet or even to listen to our arguments. Many of these countries have now been incorporated into NATO and the EU and in doing so have become part of the West. We now share more than a common destiny,

we are an alliance and we will protect every BOENINGJAN-PETER partner. But no one can expect the Germans, with all the good experience and developments we need to continue looking for new gas and Among his other roles at the they made with Russia under Gorbachev, Yeltsin renewable energy sources? German Foreign Policy and Putin, to just throw that away to suit the In the future we will have to be less reliant on Society (DGAP), Alexander mood in other countries. imported energy and raw materials. Support- Rahr is responsible for How does Russia view the Nabucco pipe- ing renewable energies can also be a great stim- energy policy and Russia. His line, which various countries in the south are ulus to German industry. The industry could be book Russland gibt Gas planning, to bring gas to Europe from Asia? facing great change and we could be providing (which translates as Russia Russia sees the pipeline as a rival, but can’t pre- new products that other countries can’t develop Gives Gas) was published in vent it going ahead if the political will, the in- as quickly. We are currently building up a very 2008, followed by Der kalte vestors’ money and the necessary gas are all nice lead. Russia has noticed this, of course, and Freund (The Cold Friend) in available. Currently, these three conditions are knows that hardly any countries will be inter- 2011. In it he describes how, only partially fulfi lled. Also, Russia has devel- ested in natural gas in 50 years’ time. That is thanks to its natural resourc- oped a counter-model to Nabucco—the South why they are trying to sell as much as possible es, Russia has re-emerged as Stream pipeline. now, to China, for example. a major power and as a profi - Which would also pump Russian gas to Do you think that the newly found re- teer from the fi nancial crisis. Europe. serves of so-called shale gas in Western Europe He studied history and The ideal solution would be to combine South will contribute to European energy security? political science in Munich, Stream and Nabucco. Ultimately, we will need Politically, it’s very important for some coun- received the German Order such large quantities of gas in the future, that tries, Poland, for example. But I hope that ex- of Merit in 2003 and is an we may soon need the security of having two tracting this gas will never be necessary, be- honorary professor at pipelines in the south. In any case, this gas cause it’s associated with considerable environ- Moscow State University for wouldn’t fl ow directly to Germany, but to other mental pollution. The United States is currently International Relations. countries, who would take on the role of distrib- experiencing lots of diffi culties in their vast uting the Russian or Central Asian gas. In the country. In densely populated Europe it would south, Austria and Italy could take the position defi nitely be even more problematic. But the we hold in the north. psychological factor is important: If someone This is not a competition, but a sharing of re- wanted to put our gas supplies under pressure sponsibility for energy security and the diversi- we now know that we could extract the shale fi cation of supply in Europe. It is important that gas if necessary. Of course, it’s a diffi cult and ex- a single European gas market emerges, that we pensive technology, but we no longer have to link our pipelines and in doing so help each oth- worry as much about one-sided dependencies er to be more recession-proof. as we did a few years ago. So this means that we can’t simply sit back and relax for the next 50 years, but rather The questions were asked by Hanno Charisius. www.nord-stream.com 31 Lubmin, near Greifswald in northern Germany, is where the Baltic Sea pipeline comes ashore—and the gas feeds into the European gas network. What impact will the construction and operation of the line have on the Baltic Sea ecosystem?

32 The Pipeline and the Sea The Pipeline and the Sea There is no doubt that the energy revolution is taking place. Still, even with the help of wind and solar power, Europe’s thirst for energy has yet to be quenched. Energy companies and politicians are working to ﬁ ll this supply gap with a new pipeline bringing gas from Russia. But will the success of this venture come at a cost to the environment?

By Stefanie Reinberger

www.nord-stream.com 33 NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM AT A GLANCE hen Greenpeace and the energy indus- climate balance sheet. Not only does the route W try reach consensus you might be for- through the Baltic Sea follow the shortest possi- given for being a little suspicious, especially ble path between Russia’s Siberian gas fi elds and 1. when it’s not about the construction of new Western Europe, but its operation will also cause An underwater pipeline is wind or solar power plants, but rather the pro- about 40 percent less carbon dioxide to be re- considered to be an envi- motion of a fossil fuel. The construction of more leased than if an overland line had been built. ronmentally friendly way than two thousand kilometers of pipeline This is because the high water pressure and low to transport gas. Its opera- through the Baltic Sea certainly does not sound temperature on the seabed means the pipeline tion causes hardly any like an “ecological project.” But the supply of does not require additional, energy-consuming, Russian gas to European households and facto- pumping stations. “Because of the short lines and CO2 emissions and saves energy. ries has met with little resistance from environ- the effective pressure conditions, over the next mentalists. The reason: the pipelines do not 50 years we will save more than 200 million tons 2. threaten the transition to renewable energies— of CO2,” explains Werner Rott, Nord Stream Proj- However, environmental- in fact, they facilitate it. “The only energy source ect Deputy Director of Engineering. By compari- ists were concerned about which really deserves to be called ‘a bridge to re- son, the total carbon dioxide emissions in Ger- the installation work going newable energy’ is gas,” says Andree Böhling, an many in 2009 were 760 million tons. straight through the sensi- energy expert at Greenpeace. tive Baltic Sea ecosystem. Böhling can support this claim with a study Neighbors with eagle eyes by the renowned Wuppertal Institute for Cli- But the construction of the two 1,224-kilometer 3. mate, Environment and Energy. Indeed, the steel pipes through the Baltic Sea was not with- Because of extensive combustion of natural gas for electricity genera- out controversy. From the very start of the plan- monitoring and protection tion is relatively climate-friendly, because when ning phase there were calls from scientists, en- programs the impact was it is burned it produces much less carbon diox- vironmental organizations and authorities, signifi cantly reduced. ide per unit of energy generated than burning from all of the countries involved, for compre- coal (see box). The Wuppertal-based researchers hensive scientifi c monitoring of the project and calculate that if coal power stations were to be the assessment of both short- and long-term replaced by gas power plants, then the emission consequences. So Nord Stream spent more than levels of greenhouse gases produced during 100 million euros on the most comprehensive electricity generation could be reduced by research ever conducted on the Baltic Sea in around 40 percent. Furthermore, modern gas planning the pipeline and consulted widely and steam combination power plants can be with experts to ensure that the design, routing, controlled better and faster when dealing with construction and operation of the pipeline will

CO2 emissions per kilo- load changes than their coal or nuclear siblings. be safe and environmentally sound. This in- watt hour (in grams) If the number of wind and solar power plants included, for example, the analysis of over 1,000 creases, the gas and steam technology will play water and soil samples at 96 stations as well as an important role in balancing demand caused watching the behavior of ﬁ sh, marine mam- by weather-related ﬂ uctuations. mals and birds at 77 other sites. Geological stud- Environmentalists and energy companies ies were carried out along more than 40,000 ki- even agree that the decision to lay the pipeline lometers of the seabed as part of four research 980–1,230 along the seabed has a positive impact on the campaigns.

890 The operator had to obtain permits from all ﬁ ve countries through whose waters the pipe- 790–1,080 line passes: Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. “Of course, the national authorities also agreed internationally—especially on 640 16–23 10–30 50–150

330–550 the subjects of the environment, shipping, ﬁ shing and safety,” says Ludwig Krämer, Honorary Professor of German and European Environ- mental Law at the Law Faculty of the University of Bremen. “But the criteria of the respective national laws were always taken into account—for

Photovoltaic example, with regard to distances from protect-

ed areas or the protection of spawning Wind energy and hydropower Nuclear power power plants Combined gas/steam Combined gas/steam Mineral oil Natural gas Coal Lignite grounds.”

34 The Pipeline and the Sea The Baltic Sea is considered to be a particularly fragile ecosystem, for the small bordering sea is only connected to the North Sea, and then the Atlantic Ocean, via the narrow Dan- ish Straits. An additional factor is that, on average, it is only a little more than 50 meters deep. “The result is an extremely low exchange of water,” said Günther Nausch, marine biologist and head of the Working Group for General Marine Chemistry at the Leibniz Institute for

the Baltic Sea Research in Warnemünde, in EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM northern Germany. “While water in the North Sea is exchanged in full every two to three years, in the Baltic Sea this takes more than 30 years.” The implication is that any substances that get dissolved into the Baltic Sea or are swirled up from the seabed in the course of construction can affect the ecosystem there for decades. Another vital consideration is that the Baltic Sea consists of brackish water and is character- ized by the different saline water layers in its deeper areas. The upper 60 meters of water are oxygen-rich and brackish, so they have only a low salt content. The layer below usually has a higher salt content and very little oxygen, which NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM is why it is often referred to as a death zone. No intelligent forms of life can exist there. measure the sea fl oor to see how sedimentation Environmental experts In the death zone, nutrients such as organic rates have changed and examine the growth repeatedly took soil samples substances, phosphate and ammonia collect on patterns of mussels. In this way, they hope to from the area around the seabed. Most come from intensively used ensure that the various limits are not exceeded Bornholm. The silt here is agricultural land and have been washed through as a result of the construction and that the sen- partially contaminated with to the Baltic Sea via rivers for decades now. sitive ecosystems remain intact. chemical warfare agents that “These compounds don’t usually affect the nu- The Finns responded to the pipeline project could be stirred up by the trient balance in the surface water,” says Nausch. with particular concern. And for good reason: construction work (top). However, if they are displaced to the higher lay- lying dormant on the seabed in Finnish waters Whether the contaminants ers during the construction work they would act is the dangerous legacy of two world wars. This are actually being spread as fertilizer there. Algae could grow almost ex- is where chemical warfare agents, mines and around should be shown by a plosively—with the result that after it dies and ammunition were “disposed of.” After World study which is looking at falls to the ocean fl oor, the decomposition of the War II, it was the Allies who dumped the ammu- mussels: Biologists took some organic matter would cause an additional drain nition they seized from Germany into the Baltic of the creatures that grew in on the already scarce supply of oxygen—and the Sea. Later on, some of the neighboring states got the endangered areas and dead zones would spread out. The consequences rid of chemical weapons in this manner. The for- then compared their for the environment, and for fi shing in particu- mer German Democratic Republic did so until contamination levels to lar, would be dramatic. the early 1960s. It was clear that these kinds of specimens from unaffected Therefore, all of the countries around the highly toxic substances in particular should not areas (above). Baltic agreed that it was necessary to minimize be disturbed under any circumstances. this very dangerous whirling up of sediment “On several occasions, this led to the route during the construction. In Swedish waters, the having to be adjusted and the line taken around steel pipe runs near three Natura 2000 areas— the danger zone in a large curving arc,” says transnational, European Union protected zones. Nord Stream spokesman Frank Dudley. The Es- Here, researchers from the Swedish Meteoro- tonians were also concerned, because although logical and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and legally their territorial waters remained unaf- the Danish DHI Group take water samples and fected, they would certainly not be immune www.nord-stream.com 35 The environment under observation

What infl uence does the pipeline have on the fl ora and fauna of the Baltic? Monitoring stations at more than 1,000 locations along the route WATER QUALITY are helping Nord Stream to answer this question. Water quality is a top priority throughout the project. Therefore, turbidity, or murkiness caused by Researchers working on behalf of the pipeline operator made observa- suspended seabed sediment, is monitored at several tions about 16 key characteristics of the Baltic Sea ecosystem. These locations as a measure of water quality during construction work. Buoys equipped with sensors are included water quality and the structure of the seabed, as well as popula- installed at sensitive locations to measure turbidity tion levels of birds, fi sh and mammals. Nord Stream also documented the and other water quality parameters. This is done to effects on fi sheries and archaeological heritage sites. The results were ensure that the threshold values for turbidity are not exceeded during construction work, such as not only made available to the relevant authorities, but also to the public. dredging and trenching, and to take appropriate This monitoring will continue into the year 2016, with an expected cost to action in case turbidity approaches threshold values. Nord Stream of around 40 million euros. Turbidity plumes are tracked by air and sea. The possible spreading of contaminants associated with turbidity is also tested by measuring the impact on common mussels in cages. The content of chemicals in these mussels is compared with mussels from reference cages.

Terrestrial life

Soil

BENTHIC FLORA & FAUNA Benthic, or aquatic, fauna is monitored along the entirety of SWEDEN both pipelines. Infauna is monitored where dredging or trenching has disturbed the seabed in order to follow the rate of its regrowth. Epifauna growth on the pipelines Epifauna themselves is also expected, and will be recorded. Recovery studies will take place for several years following project completion. Infauna

DENMARK

AIR, LIGHT & NOISE At the landfall areas where construction activities take place close to where people live, air emissions, light and noise levels are measured to ensure minimal disturbance. Noise levels are also measured under- Light water to determine any impact on marine life. Lubmin near Greifswald Noise Air emissions

36 TheGERMANY Pipeline and the Sea Turbidity air

Vyborg

Turbidity vessel FINLAND RUSSIA

Turbidity buoys SEABIRDS Seabird populations are monitored in the coastal areas of the landfalls. The landfall area in Germany in particular is an important area for birds, and the pipeline route passes through several Natura 2000 ESTONIA areas in German waters. Bird populations are observed from land, sea and air to determine if they have been affected by construction activities. The resulting data of the distribution of birds and Mussel cages their population trend will be used to determine any impact.

LATVIA

LITHUANIA

Seabed bathymetry

I n ﬂ o w

WATER FLOW Water movements around the pipelines are monitored to verify that natural currents are not SWEDEN disturbed or changed by the structures. Deep water inﬂ ows to the Baltic Sea are measured, along with bottom currents in the Gulf of Finland. In areas where extensive work on the seabed has taken place, the seabed will be restored to its previous condition.

POLAND

MARINE MAMMALS FISH & FISHERIES Marine mammals are monitored at the landfall The pipelines could become a new habitat for fi sh, areas to determine if increased turbidity and vessel and therefore their numbers are monitored to Lubmin near activity during construction have any impact on determine if they do, in fact, use them as an Greifswald their populations. The monitoring activities artifi cial reef. In areas near the route and at the include a combination of vessel based landfalls, fi sh are counted to determine if turbidity counts of seals and the use of hydrophones increases might have impacted their populations. to detect harbor porpoises. www.nord-stream.com 37 KIRCHERBURKHARDT Another area of concern was the shallow Bay of Greifswald, off the coast of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, near where the pipeline reaches land at Lubmin. The shallow water depth required a trench to be dug for the pipeline to be laid in so that it would be protected

NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM from any possible future shipping accidents. ARE FISHERMEN BEING LEFT OUT IN THE COLD? Environmentalists and fi shermen were equally concerned, as this is a spawning area for her- Fishing has a long tradition in the Baltic Sea and is therefore not only an ring. Should sediment be stirred up, particular- important source of income, but also of huge cultural signifi cance. More ly during the excavation of the trench, the light than 100 salt, brackish and freshwater fi sh species live in this small sea, and oxygen conditions could become so bad including cod, herring and sprat. These species are vital for fi shing, but it has that the young fi sh would be dangerously com- become increasingly rare for nets to be full to the brim. As a result of promised. “The turbidity did increase in the environmental changes and overfi shing, yields have fallen by 40 percent area up to 500 meters from the excavation since the 1980s! work, but it never went above natural levels,” Under no circumstances would the pipeline be allowed to cause this ailing explains Jan Kube, the marine biologist respon- industry any further complications. It could create particular diffi culties for sible for monitoring the German environment the plaice and shrimp fi shermen who drag their nets along the seabed. at Nord Stream. “We measured signifi cant tur- Fortunately, the surfaces of the gas pipes are just smooth enough for the nets bidity only in the immediate vicinity of the to glide safely over them. Because Nord Stream was able to prove that neither dredging.” Again, this is no cause for concern, as the pipes nor the nets would be damaged, Denmark dropped plans for a ban it is completely normal for the particle concen- on trawling around the pipeline. tration to rise and then fall again, just as in However, it was not possible to prevent fi shing restrictions during the construction work. “No access” areas were applied around the pipe-laying strong winds. Therefore, it comes as no surprise vessels, for which the fi shermen were compensated fi nancially. The research- that researchers at the Thünen Institute of Fish- ers viewed the effects of digging the trenches in the shallow waters with a eries Biology at Rostock have seen no decline in much more critical eye. “What happens if the sediments which get disturbed levels of the fi sh larvae. and cloud the water threaten the highly-sensitive fi sh spawning?” asked Christian von Dorrien, fi sheries biologist from the Thünen Institute for Baltic Noise-sensitive porpoises Sea Fisheries in Rostock, who demanded that the construction not begin Close to the Bay of Greifswald lies the Pomerani- before June 2010. In the end, the researchers and pipeline operator agreed to an Bay, a haven for rare harbor porpoises. If they mid-May 2010 as the start date. This assured that both the operator’s were to be affected by the construction, the al- ambitious timetable would be met and that the young herring population ready low stocks could become permanently would not be unduly affected. threatened. “Porpoises orientate themselves with the help of ultrasound localization,” says marine biologist Ansgar Diederichs, from the should any ocean currents become poisoned. company BioConsult SH, in Husum. “If their As a result, Nord Stream undertook continued hearing is impaired it can have dramatic conse- testing of the water quality near the Estonian quences.” However, the pipe-laying work hardly coast as part of its environmental monitoring poses a threat, because the noise from the dredg- program for Finland. In addition, the Estonian ers and vessels arrives and then goes away again Ministry of Environment conducted their own fairly slowly, so the animals have time to adjust investigations. In April 2011, they were relieved to it and move to quieter areas to avoid the dis- to reach the conclusion that the construction ruption. Diederichs considers the explosion-like work had caused no measurable increase in the noises generated by the pile driving during the turbidity of the water zones near the seabed. construction of offshore wind farms as cause for Further, the level of dioxins (toxins that come greater concern. mainly from incinerators and pass through pre- Using underwater microphones called hydro- cipitation into the Baltic Sea) in herring re- phones, the researchers searched for the por- mained below the legal limits. Based on these poises’ characteristic clicking sounds and found fi ndings, says Heidi Käär, marine specialist of that the marine mammals were actually staying the Estonian Environmental Ministry, it can be in the area around the laying vessels. “Surpris- concluded that the installation work poses no ingly, the animals seemed to turn up there more danger to Estonia’s marine environment. than usual when the pile-drivers were at work,”

38 The Pipeline and the Sea “The fear of environmental damage was huge” Neel Strøbæk advises the pipeline operator Nord Stream on environmental protection matters, thereby helping to get planning permission granted. We asked her about the impact of the pipeline construction and the possible long-term consequences.

Mrs. Strøbæk, as a project manager at document the condition of the affected areas a Rambøll, your role is to support Nord Stream long time before the construction work was com- in taking into account the diverse nature con- missioned. We then continued making observa- servation interests of the coastal countries in- tions during and after the pipeline had been laid. volved in the pipeline project. Have you been There are also the remains of lots of dangerous successful? munitions dumped in the Baltic Sea, which, of Well, even if it took a little longer in some cases, course, also were noted and disposed of where in the end, Nord Stream was granted all of the necessary. Other experts looked into the impact planning permits. It was an enormous organi- on fi sh, seabirds and marine mammals. zational challenge for us. Each of the neighbor- Did the feared negative consequences oc- ing countries has its own rules and regulations. cur in the end? At peak times we had 60 coordinators working One major concern was that stirring up the nu- on the permitting process. trient-rich sediments would result in algae What role did environmental issues play blooms. Judging by our measurements, they COURTESY OF RAMBOLL (WWW.RAMBOLL.COM) OF RAMBOLL COURTESY in the construction of the Baltic pipeline? have not occurred anywhere. We can give the A very large role. Most companies only consider all-clear for the animal world. Important spawn- Neel Strøbæk is a specialist technical and economic aspects when planning ing areas for herring were not affected and, as in environmental assess- a project. Then, when the plans are complete, far as we can see, there is no danger to birds or ments and international environmental consultants like us look to see marine mammals. approval processes. As a what can be done to rescue the situation. In this In some areas, trenches were dug for the project manager at the case it was different. The interests of nature pipeline to be buried in. Is that not a massive Danish consultancy compa- conservation and environmental protection intervention? ny Rambøll, she wrote the were already being considered during the plan- Dredging the ocean fl oor does cause a distur- decisive environmental ning stage. bance, of course. But the excavated material impact study that formed One reason for the high standards in en- was stored in accordance with regulations and the basis of the evidence on vironmental protection may be that the na- after the pipe had been laid it was put back in which the planning permits ture conservation and environmental groups the same place. So we are optimistic that after a were approved. spoke up loudly very early on. while it will look the same down there as it did Yes, that’s right. There was a huge amount of before. The monitoring program will continue fear. There were real concerns that the construc- until 2016. The data will be made available to tion and operation of the pipeline could cause a the public so that scientists can use it for other massive ecological disaster. Here in the Baltic research projects. Sea, which, for example, is much fl atter than The pipeline will remain in operation at the North Sea, where there are countless pipe- least 50 years. What long-term consequences lines, nobody has any experience with these are you expecting? kinds of pipelines. So, accordingly, this caused a Actually we are not expecting there to be any great deal of uncertainty in the regulatory au- long-term consequences. Of course, it will be thorities of the affected countries. quite different if someone wants to get the And were you and Nord Stream able to pipes back out again one day. But that is not cur- clarify everything? rently up for debate. Yes, more than 100 million euros was invested in a very intensive accompanying environmen- The questions were asked by Kerstin Viering, a tal assessment program. We hired experts to freelance journalist based in Lehnin, Brandenburg. www.nord-stream.com 39 says Diederichs. The researchers have no answer What is more, in places where the pipeline is to why this may be, but perhaps the porpoises not in a trench but lies directly on the seabed, were simply curious about what was going on. new life will move in. “The pipeline acts as an ar- He hopes results will come from the further ob- tifi cial reef and is colonized by the correspond- servations planned for the construction of the ing organisms very quickly,” says Schanz. Spe- second tube, which should be fi nished in spring cies then settle in these areas that do not other- 2012. “Regrettably, the number of these porpois- wise inhabit such predominantly soft and san- es in the Baltic Sea is so low,” says Diederichs, dy soil. This is exactly what scientists are “that we are pleased if we see any at all.” Will his observing, not only on the foundations of large NORD STREAM observations allow him to arrive at statistically wind turbines off the North Sea coast, but also at WHAT ACTUALLY reliable conclusions? He does not know. the artifi cial Reef Nienhagen near Warnemünde, HAPPENS... While the pipe-laying vessels and their noise northern Germany, where researchers explore ...IF THE PIPELINE and vibration move several kilometers every the effects on the fl ora and fauna of man-made BREAKS? day, the pipeline itself will remain on the seabed structures on the seabed. “It only takes one year forever. A greater impact than the short-term before the meter-high stone and concrete ele- With around 60,000 ship disruptions may come from the long-term ef- ments are covered in several layers of life which passages per year, the fects of its presence on the complex and fragile has settled there,” says Thomas Mohr of the Na- Baltic is one of the ecosystems there. Regardless of whether the tional Research Institute for Agriculture and world’s busiest seas, and pipeline is being placed directly onto the seabed Fishery in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. After the risk of accidents in shallow waters or whether a trench is being four to fi ve years, an artifi cial reef could be seen cannot be excluded. In a dug fi rst, the fact is that biologists and environ- as a relatively stable, seasonally changing eco- worst-case scenario, the mentalists have considerable fears about the system. There is no reason why this should not gas pipeline could be possible consequences of these interventions. also be the case for the pipeline. damaged and start to How will nature react to these foreign bodies in But, of course, there is a catch: the concrete- leak. the Baltic Sea in the coming decades? These and coated steel pipe also attracts invasive animal In such an event, other similar questions must now be answered and plant species that do not usually live in sensors would immediately register the drop in by the various monitoring programs. those parts of the Baltic Sea. We already know pressure within the from the offshore wind farms in the North Sea pipeline and sound the The thousand-kilometer reef to expect the arrival of sea squirts and inverte- alarm in the Nord Stream Scientists from the Institute for Applied Ecosys- brate organisms, creatures that often dominate emergency response tem Research in Neu Broderstorf, near Rostock, the ecosystems in their new surroundings and center in the Swiss town have been observing developments on the Ger- will actually displace native species. of Zug. All of the valves man side of the Baltic Sea. Their fi rst task, com- So, despite all of the precautions taken, some pleted before the construction work started, was things may change on the seabed in the long Securing on the Russian side would be automatically shut off. to meticulously map the sandbanks, reefs and term. Whether this happens, and, if so, to what At the same time, all rocks, as well as to fi nd out which animals and extent, will be revealed in the coming years. valves on the German plants live there. Once the bulldozers had moved Based on previous experience with similar diverSity in side would be opened. in, the team, along with marine biologist Anja projects around the world, however, environ- This way, only as much Schanz, compared the before and after. mentalists are optimistic. They hope that the gas as was in the pipeline The initial results seemed disappointing, but Baltic Sea pipeline can literally be a bridge to a energy SupplieS could escape. were to be expected. The excavators had put the new era. For the effects of global climate change Even then, we would underwater landscape back the way they found have long been apparent, even in Europe, and a Today’s world calls for creative and sustainable energy solutions that not expect to see a it, as agreed: where there had been large rocks broad and noticeable change in mood can be negative impact on the co-exist with the existing environment. With strong Scandinavian before, there were large rocks again, now. How- felt in society as a result. In addition, environ- roots and offices in more than 20 countries, we provide inspiring environment. Unlike a ever, animals and plants did not re-colonize the mental disasters involving fuels, such as the broken oil pipeline, a scar across the seabed within the fi rst few Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mex- and exacting solutions that make a genuine difference to our leaking gas pipeline months. The habitat, with its diverse organisms ico or the meltdown of the nuclear power plant customers, the end-users and society as a whole. would not cause water (which scientists call the “benthos”), was largely in Fukushima, have increased the public’s de- pollution. The gas would destroyed along the gas route. However, Schanz sire for a climate-friendly, pollution-free and simply rise to the surface is confi dent. “New life will settle here next year,” safe energy supply. The future for renewable en- and escape into the WWW.ramboll.com atmosphere. says the biologist, referring to experiences of ergies is brighter than ever. other pipeline projects, such as the one between Baltrum and Langeoog in the North Sea, in which Stefanie Reinberger, Ph.D., is a biologist and freelance the characteristic species rapidly resettled. science journalist based in Cologne.

40 The Pipeline and the Sea

Securing diversity in energy supplies_206x273mm.indd 1 8/17/2011 2:47:30 PM Securing diverSity in energy SupplieS Today’s world calls for creative and sustainable energy solutions that co-exist with the existing environment. With strong Scandinavian roots and offices in more than 20 countries, we provide inspiring and exacting solutions that make a genuine difference to our customers, the end-users and society as a whole.

WWW.ramboll.com

www.nord-stream.com 41

Securing diversity in energy supplies_206x273mm.indd 1 8/17/2011 2:47:30 PM Specialist divers were deployed before construction began.

42 Detective Work on the Seabed NORD STREAM / THOMAS EUGSTER THOMAS / NORD STREAM Detective Work on the Seabed The ﬂ oor of the Baltic Sea is littered with the explosive legacy of two world wars. Nord Stream vessels spent four long years searching for bombs and shells—to the delight of underwater archaeologists.

By Kerstin Viering

his does not look good. A mysterious piece Discoveries such as these are not unexpect- T of metal is lying on the seabed of the Bay of ed for workers on the pipeline project. “It was Greifswald, about eight kilometers northeast of clear that we’d fi nd something interesting in the north German state of Lubmin. A thick layer our preliminary investigations,” said Nord of rust and mussels encases the barrel-shaped Stream employee Steffen Ebert. After all, there object. The combined forces of water, salt and are believed to be around 100,000 shipwrecks marine animals have been taking their toll for on the Baltic Sea fl oor, and the tens of thou- some time now. But what exactly is it? At fi rst sands of mines from the First and Second World glance it’s hard to tell. It is possible that the truth Wars have by no means all been removed. It may not be too pleasant, because hidden deep would be most unusual if the pipeline’s route beneath the surface of the Baltic Sea lies the leg- just happened to be completely free of muni- acy of several wars. Sea mines and grenades, tions and wrecks. bombs and poison gas munitions—there are many things resting quietly down there that, if Explosive findings stirred, just might blow up. So what happens if “We’ve tried to avoid problem areas while plan- AT A GLANCE the strange metal cylinder is full of explosives? ning the route,” Ebert emphasizes. For example, There is little time for the matter to be re- the region around Bornholm caused quite a few solved. It is May 2010, not long before excava- headaches. Originally, the pipes were intended 1. tors are set to create a 27-kilometer-long ditch to pass to the south of this Danish island—until All in all, the ships com- through the bay to make way for the Baltic pipe- the country’s authorities pointed out there is a missioned by Nord Stream line to be laid. Naturally, the company in charge known dumping ground for chemical weapons explored more than of the operation, Nord Stream, does not want in the area. “After the Second World War, the Al- 40,000 kilometers of the any explosive surprises. So just before the start lies ordered the German poison gas stocks be Baltic Sea. of construction, it has asked SeaTerra, a Wan- destroyed,” explains Robert Mollitor, from the dlitz, Germany–based fi rm specializing in geo- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Munitions Re- 2. physics and unexploded munitions clearance, covery Service in Schwerin. Simply throwing Many mines had to be to take one more really good look at the seafl oor. the ammunition into the sea was seen as a per- destroyed. Where this was A metal object of this shape and size is always fectly acceptable way of disposing of it at the not possible, the pipeline suspicious. But the experts can fi nally give the time. Fishermen, sailing under the supervision builders bypassed the all clear. It is not a bomb, but a cast-iron stove of the Russian military, were paid to drop their explosive fi nds. with decorative lion’s feet. Not at all danger- toxic cargo in certain regions of the Baltic Sea. ous—but still exciting. Research divers from “We also know about dumping grounds near 3. the State Offi ce for Culture and Heritage in the Gotland Basin and Bornholm,” says the mu- Again and again, wrecks Schwerin investigate the site of the fi nd, and lo nitions expert. Building a pipeline through were found that archae- and behold: the oven is just the beginning. Bur- these chemical weapon graveyards would have ologists were able to ied under the mud and sand they uncover a been too risky. The planners searched for a new secure or salvage. shipwreck more than 200 years old. pathway north of Bornholm, but it was found to www.nord-stream.com 43 Mines are be too close to a major shipping zone. So the fi - to be uncovered. A magnetometer dragged only one of nal pipeline route runs south of Bornholm, across the seafl oor helped detect telltale traces around 1,000 skirting around the munitions area. of magnetic ferrous material. More highly sensi- However, it is still most unfortunate that the tive metal detectors called gradiometers en- types of suspi- location of many of the Baltic Sea’s military con- abled the detection of pieces of iron buried in cious finds— tamination sites remain unknown. “The seabed sediment. Researchers used remotely operated the others are has never been completely surveyed in this re- underwater vehicles to traverse the pipeline’s mainly pieces of spect,” says Mollitor. This meant Mollitor and route in order to collect the gradiometer data, as scrap which his colleagues were unable to rule out the possi- well as detailed images of the seafl oor. have been bility of risky explosives being found in the Bay thrown over- of Greifswald, or that the long-standing rumors Shells, shipwrecks and board, such as about poison gas close to the German coast shopping carts bicycles, shop- might be true. Did the fi shermen hired after the “These recordings show all of the various things war really take the ammunition all the way to which lie on the seabed of the Bay of Greif- ping carts and Bornholm? Or did they just dump their cargo swald,” says Mollitor. “Lots of shopping carts, refrigerators overboard shortly after setting sail? Nobody for example, old cars and some things which knows. are hard to recognize.” In these cases, Nord “We put a great deal of emphasis on thor- Stream hired specialist divers to clear the sedi- ough preliminary investigations because of ment and provide an accurate analysis of the this,” says Ebert. Since 2005, research ships suspect fi nds. “It’s often only specialists who commissioned by the pipeline operator have can distinguish whether a fi nd is actually dan- covered more than 40,000 kilometers along gerous,” explains Mollitor. Live ammunition the route and studied the sea bottom in several and harmless practice munitions can be con- stages with ever-increasing detail. Experts used fusingly similar when you are unsure which the data to decide on the best route, and the tiny screw differentiates one from the other. 15-meter-wide strip was then scoured yet again, In order to remove the dangerous legacy of even more thoroughly this time. the wars, Nord Stream collaborated with the The munitions can only be This research employed the most varied tech- British mine clearing company BACTEC and the inspected safely by using nical assistance available. Sonar devices provid- relevant authorities of the various countries in- diving robots. Even though ed a clear picture of the Baltic Sea bed and the volved. In total, the experts have exploded they have been under water objects lying on it. With the help of a sediment about one hundred mines along the route of the for decades, the mines could echo sounder, the seabed was scanned with ul- pipeline, primarily in the Gulf of Finland. By still explode. trasound, allowing the various geological layers contrast, in the German coastal waters they found mostly blank ammunition. In the end, controlled explosions were not necessary and, fortunately, the rumors of large amounts of poison gas having been dumped were not confi r m e d . Nonetheless, the laying of the pipeline in the area of the Bay of Greifswald would need to be handled with the utmost care. Although the pipeline simply lies on the Baltic seabed for great stretches of its route, for safety reasons it needed to be laid in a trench, which then had to be fi lled in. These kinds of disruptive activities always come with a large amount of risk. “Just before the start of construction the divers from SeaTerra had another close look at all of the metal objects on the route,” says Ebert. It was only at this point, in May 2010, that the lion- footed oven and the shipwreck underneath were discovered off the coast of Lubmin. “The ship was completely hidden beneath

NORD STREAM / ROV NORD STREAM the sediment, so no one had seen it during the

44 Detective Work on the Seabed A huge water fountain shows that a mine deep under the sea has been detonated. Expert demolition squads had to destroy the dangerous ﬁ nds on the spot. REUTERS / INTS KALNINS / INTS REUTERS

preliminary studies,” explains Detlef Jantzen, in one piece.” Employees of the Dutch salvage head of the Department of Archaeology at the company Periplus Archeomare took charge of State Department for Culture and Heritage in the diffi cult task. Constrained by two strong Schwerin. Using an underwater vacuum clean- belts that crisscrossed under the hull and were er, his colleagues gradually revealed a small attached to a metal frame, the wreck was ini- At fi rst this potbellied freighter, most likely dating from around 1800, tially left fl oating just below the surface of the stove was mistaken for a which had been crossing the Baltic Sea with a water. It was then transported to its new desti- bomb. Divers eventually cargo of lime. The researchers have carefully nation. Supported by sandbags and wrapped in realized that it belonged examined the wreckage, made drawings and special textiles to protect against erosion and to a sunken ship. taken photographs—and also discovered why ship worms and covered again with sediment, the nearly ten-meter-long vessel ended up on the ship now rests in a pit about 120 meters the Baltic seabed. It appears the stove was to away from the site where it originally sank. blame. Burn marks around it reveal that a fi re had broken out on the ship. A few tools and A valuable cargo of copper cooking utensils, glass bottles and shards of But there was still plenty more work ahead for pottery still tell of life on board. One of the sail- the wreck rescuers from Schwerin. In early June ors had a pipe, for example, with a colorful por- 2010, while excavation was still underway on celain bowl and a woman painted on it. But the ship with the oven, Nord Stream announced what became of him and the rest of the crew, the next fi nd, situated a short distance outside whether they saved themselves or drowned, we of the Bay of Greifswald. Once again, the divers will probably never know. leapt into action. This time, buried in the sedi- The wreck is of great interest to the Schwer- ment, at a depth of about seven meters, they dis- in-based researcher. “There are not many ships covered the remains of a copper-laden ship- from that time which are so well preserved,” ex- wreck from the mid-15th century. “This is a par- plains Jantzen. So he and his colleagues devel- ticularly exciting discovery,” says a delighted oped a plan to rescue the freighter from the Jantzen. The copper plates on board could reveal depths of the Baltic. “That was an exciting proj- details of numerous medieval trade relation- ect,” says the archaeologist. “The ship was so ships. In those days the metal was sold in disc stable that we were able to raise it and move it form, with many of the pieces bearing the LANDESAMT FÜR KULTUR UND DENKMALPFLEGE, ABTEILUNG ARCHÄOLOGIE UND SCHWERIN ARCHÄOLOGIE UND ABTEILUNG DENKMALPFLEGE, / SABINE DENKMALPFLEGE, FÜRSUHR KULTUR LANDESAMT www.nord-stream.com 45 An Explosive Job

The Baltic Sea contains the dangerous remnants of two world wars. More than 80 items were cleared from the path of the Nord Stream pipeline.

Nord Stream proﬁ ted from the experience of the naval units of the ROV SUPPORT VESSEL A munitions disposal team of countries involved. Within the framework of “Partnership for Peace,” an 15 is on the vessel along with initiative from NATO and 22 other countries, over 1,000 mines have been the crew. VHF (very high cleared since 1996. frequency) radio ensures that nearby ship trafﬁ c is aware of In Russian waters, in the Baltic pipeline’s security and anchor corridor, clearance operations. about 30 mines were found and removed by the Russian Navy. In the Finnish “exclusive economic zone” specialists from the British company BACTEC International disposed of around 35 mines, as well as seven in Survey Vessel Swedish waters and two munitions dumps in the German area.

SEAL SCRAMMER The seal scrammer acoustic CLEARANCE PROCEDURES device emits very high intensity sounds that can be Fish Monitoring 1 The ROV carries out a site survey of the seabed heard for many kilometers with a 1,000-meter radius while the support underwater. This noise makes vessel is waiting at a safe distance. the vicinity uncomfortable for marine mammals and causes 2 The survey confi rms the state of the mine. The them to vacate the area. ROV is recovered. A mammal protection system is set up and the marine mammal observers begin monitoring. 3 The clearance plan is fi nalized and authorities are advised. The ROV maneuvers the frame with the explosives into position for demolition. 4 The RIB lays the Firing Line and then begins scanning for fi sh and marine mammals in the TMS area. A warning to all ship traffi c is issued. The TMS (tether management system) is the ROV’s “garage.” It eliminates the effect 5 The fi sh-scarer charge is fi red and is of drag of the long length of umbilical immediately followed by the main charge. attached to the ROV. It also provides protection to the ROV during its launch and 6 The RIB visually checks the surface. The ROV recovery. confi rms the demolition. Fragments of scrap and equipment are recovered.

ROV Via an umbilical, the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) transmits survey data to the support vessel. With its manipulator arms it deploys the explosive charge and 46 collects scrap after theDetective demolition. Work on the Seabed Finland

Vyborg Norway Sweden Kotka

Hanko

Estonia

Slite Russia

Latvia RIB The RIB (rigid infl atable Denmark Karlskrona boat) accommodates the marine mammal observers, Lithuania and undertakes fi sh Mukran monitoring. Russia Identifi ed Munition Lubmin Nord Stream Route near Greifswald Poland Germany approx. 1,000 m 2 Firing Line RIB Buoy with 4 Junction Box PAM

Firing Line 2 Hydrophones

Fish-Scarer Charge Seal Scrammer 5 Seal Scrammer Mooring Line PAM The Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) detects marine mammals by monitoring their vocalizations. The array of hydrophones (orange) listens to establish the presence of Fish Monitoring mammals. The radar beacon (yellow) makes it visible to ship trafﬁ c.

approx. 100 m

TMS 1 Sandbags

ROV Munition 6 Explosive Device 3 MUNITION Anchor Between 100,000 and 150,000 mines were deployed in the Baltic Sea, particularly in the Gulf of Finland, during the First and Second World Wars.

www.nord-stream.com 47 KIRCHERBURKHARDT Another vessel from the Baltic seabed tells the story of a military plot gone awry. This wreck, from the 18th century, belongs to a line of twenty ships that form a chain along the ﬂ oor of the Boddenrandschwelle, the sand bank at the entrance of the Bay of Greifswald. In 1715, during the Great Northern War, the Swedish military sank one small boat every forty to six- ty meters in the shallow water to stop the ene- my Danish ﬂ eet from entering the bay.

Gently through the cordon In military terms, the plan turned out to be a complete failure, as a local fi sherman showed the Danes the only navigable route through the wrecks. However, almost 300 years later, in the 1990s, the rediscovered ships proved to be a se- rious obstacle. This time it was not an advanc- ing army being hindered, but rather the builders of the pipeline. And there would be no trai- torous insider tips from fi shermen to help them fi nd their way. “We looked into which of the ships would be the best one to move,” says Jantzen. In the end, the smallest and most poor- ly preserved wreck was chosen. Of the original, possibly 20-meter-long boat, not much more than a pile of ballast stones and planks remained. It is also fair to assume that the boat was not in very good shape before it met its end. “Of course, the Swedes wouldn’t have sunk particularly valuable ships,” says the archaeologist. The annual rings in its wood planks reveal that the small freighter had probably seen several decades’ service before its fi nal voyage. Never- theless, preserving the boat is still seen as a worthwhile exercise. “If you want to learn something about ships from that time you

NORD STREAM need originals,” says Jantzen. Only a few of these have survived. As with the medieval ves- In the murky waters of the hallmarks of the buyer or seller. The place where sel, the State Offi ce archaeologists lifted the Bay of Greifswald, Nord the copper was smelted can sometimes also be boat up in separate parts. In this case, preserva- Stream came across the identifi ed. tion on land would have been too expensive, so remains of old freighters. The However, because of its advanced age, this the freighter was placed in a new berth about wreckage revealed a lot ship did not prove to be as robust as was hoped. twenty kilometers away. There, wrapped in spe- about how such ships were Moving it in one piece was simply out of the cial textiles, in a pit dug by the experts, the built. question. Instead, the archaeologists took the many broken pieces of the wreck were once wreck apart, piece by piece, and then brought again laid to rest in the sand of the Baltic Sea. the individual parts to the surface. Since any Another witness to history saved, this small wood or metal that has spent centuries on the ship is sure to have its own tale to tell research- seabed cannot be brought onto dry land with- ers in the future. out extensive conservation measures, the pieces are now stored in large water-fi lled contain- Kerstin Viering is a freelance science journalist living ers in Schwerin, awaiting further investigation. in Lehnin, Brandenburg.

48 Detective Work on the Seabed www.nord-stream.com 49 The last word…

Nur mit Tauchrobotern lassen sich die Munitions- funde gefahrlos inspizieren. Obwohl se seit Jahrzehnten unter Wasser liegen, sind viele der Minen noch immer scharf.

IF YOU WERE TO SHRINK THE 1,224-kilometer-long

ter pipeline until it was as thin as a s E ug homa T human hair—IT WOULD STILL BE AROUND 70 meters long! N50 The Pipeline and the Sea Nord Stream / Nord Stream www.nord-stream.com N51 Line One Is on Stream Line 1 of the Nord Stream Pipeline system is now capable of delivering natural gas from Russia’s vast reserves to Europe’s ever-growing energy market via the European gas network. This major feat of engineering across 1,224 kilometres of the Baltic Sea was made possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of Nord Stream’s employees. It is also a result of constructive support from our shareholders, partners, contractors, and experts from around the Baltic region. Special thanks go to everyone who has contributed to strengthening Europe’s security of supply. www.nord-stream.com

NORD_01_108_Anzeige_TY_ENG_206x273+3.indd 1 16.09.11 14:30