BERLIN – The German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) has turned down a demand from ecologists to cancel the construction permit for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the regulator said in a statement obtained by Interfax on April 1.
“Following a detailed check, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency today declined protests from the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union and Environmental Action Germany,” the statement said.
The environmentalist organizations challenged the permit issued by BSH on Jan. 14 to finalize the construction of the 16.5-kilometer part of the pipeline in the German economic zone of the Baltic Sea between the end of September and the end of May.
The ecologists challenged the construction permit because, in their words, the area is vital for bird nesting, but the regulator disagreed. The sea is about 20 meters deep in that area, which makes it unimportant to birds. In addition, BSH said that pipe-laying vessels move at slow speeds, and it is possible to perform construction work for 30 consecutive days with two-week breaks for the sake of the birds.
