Following the international tender process, Nord Stream 2 AG and Allseas have signed a Letter of Intent covering the offshore pipelay capacities for the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline through the Baltic Sea.

The Letter of Intent ensures that Allseas will undertake offshore pipelay works for the first line and also provides the option to book capacities from Allseas for the second line up to the end of the first quarter of 2017. Negotiations to finalise the contract will continue within this timeline. Other tenders including the near-shore pipelay tenders in Russia and Germany are ongoing.

Henning Kothe, Chief Project Officer of Nord Stream 2 AG said: “This step follows a thorough tender evaluation procedure in the highly specialised offshore pipelay market. We are pleased to have secured the necessary pipelay capacity for our project. The Nord Stream 2 Team will work in the next weeks to optimise and finalise the awards for both lines. It is a further important milestone in the development of the Nord Stream 2 project.”

About Nord Stream 2

Nord Stream 2 will be a twin pipeline system that can transport natural gas from the world's largest reserves in Northern Russia to supply homes and businesses across Europe.

Funded by leading international energy companies, the project builds on the success and experience of Nord Stream, which opened twin pipelines through the Baltic Sea in 2011 and 2012. The new pipelines will increase capacity along the Baltic Sea route from Russia to Germany, helping to safeguard Europe's long-term energy security.

About Allseas

Allseas Group S.A. is a world-leading contractor in offshore pipeline installation, heavy lift and subsea construction. The company employs over 3000 people worldwide and operates a versatile fleet of specialised heavy-lift, pipelay and support vessels, designed and developed in-house. Allseas has executed over 275 projects and installed approximately 20,000 km of subsea pipeline.