US senators have demanded that the Mukran port operator stop supporting the construction of the Nord Stream 2 (SP-2) gas pipeline, threatening to “financially destroy”. On Thursday, August 6, the German newspaper Handelsblatt reports.
“If you continue to provide goods, services and support to the Nord Stream 2 project, you will ruin the future financial condition of your enterprise,” said a letter to the newspaper from three US senators led by Ted Cruz.
The article notes that the port of Mukran serves as a logistics base for the completion of the pipeline. In total, about 160 km of the pipeline have not yet been built. Most of it is in Danish territorial waters, a smaller part in German.
Two Russian-flagged vessels, Fortuna and Akademik Chersky, which are to complete the pipeline, are also in Mukran, the newspaper said. According to the senators, the port has pipes for a gas pipeline and provisions for ships.
“Your supply to Fortuna or Akademik Chersky will entail sanctions at the moment when one of the two ships lowers a pipe into the water for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline,” the senators said.
At the same time, Nord Stream 2, the operator of Nord Stream 2, reported that they were aware of the letter from US senators and noted that the sanctions jeopardize investments of European companies.
A few days ago, US Senator Ted Cruz called on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to impose any necessary sanctions to prevent the construction of Nord Stream 2.
In July, according to another German newspaper, Die Welt, the United States stepped up pressure on European companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It is noted that “very, very serious” threats were voiced from Washington.
Nord Stream 2 is being built from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea to implement direct gas supplies to Europe. The EU countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. The USA, the Baltic countries, Poland and Ukraine are against.