Nord Stream Gas 'Sabotage': Who's Being Blamed and Why?
Major leaks that suddenly erupted in the Nord Stream gas pipelines that run from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea have generated plenty of theories but few clear answers about who or what caused the damage.Here is what we know and what has been said so far:WHO IS BEING BLAMED?As probes by European authorities continue, the Swedish security police said on Thursday that suspicions of gross sabotage on the pipelines had been strengthened following a crime scene investigation.
Germany to Charter Four FSRUs in Push to Cut Reliance on Russian Gas
The German government on Thursday signed agreements for the charters of four floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), as it works to become less reliant on Russian gas, as FSRUs will enable it to import LNG from other sources.The agreements were signed for the charters of two FSRUs owned by Oslo-listed firm Hoegh LNG, and two owned by Dynagas. Hoegh LNG FSRUs will be operated by RWE, while Uniper has facilitated the charter of two FSRUs managed by Dynagas Ltd.Höegh LNG said that the detailed FSRU contracts with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action…
Floating LNG Terminal to Enter Operation in Early 2023 in Germany -Welt
A floating liquefied natural (LNG) gas terminal will enter operation at the start of 2023 in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday, citing state premier Daniel Guenther."We are working at full speed on this ... Our goal is to get it done by the beginning of 2023.
Germany Orders Five More Navy Ships
Germany has agreed to spend 1.5 billion euros to buy five more corvettes for the navy, the navy said on Friday, and Die Welt newspaper quoted lawmakers as citing the need for greater security in the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. Die Welt said lawmakers planned to introduce the funding proposal in parliament in mid-November. "To meet new security needs in the Baltic Sea, in the Mediterranean Sea, and globally, the coalition plans to buy five new corvettes for 1.5 billion euros for the German Navy," the paper quoted Social Democrat Johannes Kahrs and Christian Democrat Eckhard Rehberg as saying. In April two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic, and Finland has accused Russia of several breaches of its airspace.
Airbus May Sell Stake in Submarine Supplier
Airbus is considering a sale of its 49 percent stake in submarine supplier Atlas Elektronik as part of a reshuffle of its military business, German newspaper Die Welt reported on its website on Friday, citing industry sources. Aerospace and defence group Airbus - then called EADS - and German industrial group ThyssenKrupp jointly bought Atlas Elektronik from BAE Systems in 2005, beating out France's Thales. Die Welt said Airbus was to make a decision on a sale of its stake in the coming months. ThyssenKrupp likely has a right of first refusal, it said.
Bilfinger Wants Speedy Sale Of Construction Unit
German engineering and services group Bilfinger aims to sell its civil engineering division quickly and, at the same time, is open to acquisitions abroad, the chief executive of the company was quoted as saying on Saturday. The company is accepting expressions of interest and preparing the unit for sale, CEO Roland Koch told newspaper Die Welt, confirming a story published by Reuters on Friday. "We just launched the process," he said. Bilfinger wants to wean itself off a business model vulnerable to price wars in the building sector and focus on providing higher-margin engineering and services for industrial facilities, power plants and real estate. The company said earlier in May that it aimed to exit certain parts of its construction activities.
Ukraine To Pay Gas Arrears If It Gets Contract First
Ukraine is prepared to pay arrears to Russia for gas once it has a contract with Moscow and will take the country to court if it refuses to sign, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk was quoted as saying by a German newspaper on Saturday. Ukraine told Russia on Friday a $786 million partial payment on a bill that Russia says could exceed $5 billion by next week was on its way to Moscow. That averted an immediate threat that Russia would stop supplying the former Soviet republic with gas if it fails to make advance payments. In an interview with Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Yatseniuk said Ukraine's only demand was to get a "fair contract" and gas should not be used as a "political weapon".
Ukrainian Formin Wants Tougher Sanctions On Russia
The West should impose tougher sanctions on Russia, which is waging a "hidden war" in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt. The United States and the European Union have already imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russian individuals and some companies, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of stoking the eastern rebellions, a charge Putin has denied. "The West should impose more severe sanctions that hit specific economic sectors such as banking and target Russian decision makers," he said in an advance copy of an interview due to be published in Saturday's print edition. "It's also important to impose preventative sanctions before Russia does even more damage," he said.
