Today, specialists on the laybarge Fortuna welded the last pipe of the two strings of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline.The pipeline will be lowered to the seabed and finally connected to the other end, Nord Stream 2 AG announced on Monday.

Afterwards, the required pre-commissioning activities are carried out with the goal to put the pipeline into operation before the end of this year. Russian gas monopolist Gazprom is expected to start delivering gas to Germany in October. The new pipeline will have the capacity to transport 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year, enough to supply 26 million European households.

A geopolitical battle has raged for years over the completion of th Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Now the battle is ending - and a new one is beginning: the battle over commissioning and legal certification.