Nord Stream given permission to destroy sunken war materiel along Baltic gas pipeline route

Permission for construction of pipeline still pending

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Nord Stream, the Russian-German joint venture which is planning to lay a pipeline for natural gas reaching from Russia to Germany on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, is being given permission to remove sunken war materiel from the route of the pipeline.
      There are fewer than 30 mines and other items of war materiel, including one aerial bomb, at the bottom of the sea on the part of the route of the pipeline that goes through the Finnish economic zone.
      The company has also been granted permission to start clearing operations.
     
There are certain restrictions in the permission granted for the clearing operation, says Mika Seppälä of the Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority .
      For instance, changing routes for shipping requires that the company announce the plans, following a specific procedure laid down by the International Maritime Association.
      The permit also includes a number of requirements for protecting the marine environment, those who move around in the area, and those with various interests in the area where the pipeline is being routed.
     
Seppälä says that his office has not taken a stand on whether or not the pipeline project as a whole is acceptable or not. The recent decision focuses exclusively on the environmental impact of clearing war materiel from the sea bottom
      Nord Stream emphasised in its application that the removal of the weapons is in the public interest, and this aspect was an important reason why permission was granted.
      Finland and other countries on the Baltic Sea are constantly dismantling mines found on the sea bottom. More than 800 mines are believed to have been destroyed since 1996.
     
For the actual construction of the pipeline to begin, the Finnish government must grant its permission, under the law on economic zones.
      After that, the Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority will make its decision on whether or not the environmental impact of the project is such that it can be given permission under water legislation. The decision, which is expected in December, is decisive for the entire project.
     
Nord Stream spokesman Sebastian Sass would not say when the work would start, because he has not yet seen the text of the permission statement.
      The company hopes to start laying the pipeline early next year.
      The mine clearing job is to be done by a British company specialised in removing and destroying war materiel.
      Sass says that the clearing operation will proceed in a manner that takes the Baltic environment into consideration: a mammals expert will be taking part in the project to make sure that there are no seals or schools of fish in the area. Any that are found are to be chased away before any explosions take place.
     
The mines to be cleared away are in Finland’s economic zone, but outside Finland’s territorial waters.
      The routing of the pipeline will cut through the Finnish economic zone for a distance of 375 kilometres.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Mines, wrecks, fishing areas and seal habitats along pipeline route (16.3.2009)
  Putin meets Vanhanen, urges Finland to speed up pipeline process (2.9.2009)
  Licencing authority calls schedule for gas pipeline licence process “challenging” (1.9.2009)
  Environment Minister: gas pipeline project now more environmentally friendly than before (31.8.2009)

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