The gas pipeline that will go under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany may be routed through Estonian waters, said Neel Stroebaek from the Nord Stream consortium.
"We see a possibility that a pipeline may go through Estonian waters," Stroebaek told reporters.
"Two days ago, we asked for a permit to measure sea depth from the Estonian authorities," she added.
Gazprom, BASF AG and E.ON AG agreed in 2005 to build the 1,200-kilometer (740-mile) pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea and be ready to turn on the natural gas taps by 2010.
The initial plan was to route the pipeline through the territorial waters and economic zone of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
However, Stroebaek said, Finland asked for the route to be shifted in order to protect the environment.
Stroebaek explained that the pipeline would possible be routed through Estonia's exclusive economic zone, rather than its territorial waters.
Under international law, a country has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources in a 200 nautical mile band of water off its coast.
Territorial waters, meanwhile, stretch just 12 nautical miles from the land.
"When we have the permit from the Estonian authorities the measurement of the sea depth will take few weeks. In the late summer or early autumn we hope we shall be ready to say whether we are going to Estonia or not," Stroebaek said.
She also stressed that if Nord Stream decided it wanted to lay the pipeline in Estonia's zone, the consortium would require a permit from the Baltic state -- as is the case for any other affected country.
Gazprom holds a 51-percent interest in the Nord Stream joint venture and BASF and E.ON hold 24.5 percent each.
(AFX News, 13/04/2007)