Hamburg court rejects Polish complaint over Nord Stream pipeline
PR dla Zagranicy
Alicja Baczyńska
18.12.2015 16:02
An administrative court in Hamburg has rejected a complaint filed by Poland against the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany.
Photo: Flickr-włodi
The gas link, opened in 2011, does not pass through Poland's territorial waters. Poland fears, however, that the link, which crosses waters close to Polish ports, will block the future development of the Szczecin and Świnoujście terminals, the latter of which received its first LNG gas delivery last week.
Laid on the Baltic seabed at a depth of 16 meters, the pipeline allows vessels with a maximum draft of 13.5 meters to access ports. The link may restrict vessels with a draft above 15 meters, the authorities in Świnoujście and Szczecin say.
They appealed to the German court against a permit issued by Hamburg's local Office of Hydrography and Navigation, which cleared the way for project as planned.
In June, the Nord Stream consortium finalised plans to lay a second offshore pipeline in the Baltic linking Russia with Germany.
(aba/pk)
Source: IAR