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MOSCOW, Sept 16 (Reuters) - A vessel of Russian gas giant
Gazprom has departed for the Nord Stream 2 gas
pipeline's supply base in Germany, data showed on Wednesday, in
a sign that Moscow is still determined to push on with the
politically-charged project.
Nord Stream 2, which is yet to be completed, came under the
spotlight after U.S. sanctions last year and faced growing calls
for its cancellation from Western politicians following the
alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny, a prominent Kremlin critic.
According to ship tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon, the
vessel, Ivan Sidorenko, departed St Petersburg for the German
port of Mukran, where pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
project are stored.
The Kommersant newspaper said the vessel will supply pipes
for another Russian vessel, Akademik Cherskiy, which is set to
finish laying pipes for the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
Cherskiy is moored in Mukran, the Refinitiv Eikon data showed.
Gazprom did not reply to a request to comment.
The project has divided the European Union, with some member
states such as Poland saying it will increase the bloc's energy
reliance on Russia and undermine Ukraine as a transit state for
Russian gas pipelines to Europe.
Navalny fell seriously ill onboard a domestic flight while
campaigning on Aug. 20 and was airlifted to Berlin.
Germany says laboratory tests in three countries have
determined he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, and
Western governments have demanded an explanation from Russia,
which denies any wrongdoing.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen accused
Russia of systematically seeking to eliminate pro-democracy
opponents at home and around the region. She said it was wrong
to think the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would help to improve
tense EU-Russia ties.
Nord Stream 2 is designed to export 55 billion cubic metres
of Russian gas annually, or around a third of planned Gazprom's
overseas gas supplies for this year.
It was halted in December as pipe-laying company Swiss-Dutch
Allseas suspended operations due to U.S. sanctions targeting
companies providing vessels laying the project's pipes.
Russia has said it would complete the project on its own.
Gazprom is taking on half of the project's planned costs of
about 9.5 billion euros ($11.3 billion). The rest is shared by
Austria's OMV, Uniper and Wintershall
of Germany, Royal Dutch Shell and France's
Engie.
($1 = 0.8425 euros)
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Olesya Astakhova
Editing by Katya Golubkova and David Evans)