[Editor’s note: Our correspondent Grigory Pasko has been writing extensively on the Nord Stream gas pipeline project for over a year already. In the spring of 2007, he filed a series of reports from northern Russia, where the approaches to the underwater pipe are being laid. That summer, he reported from Germany and Finland. For the past several months, we have been presenting his latest series about the project – from the Scandinavian perspective. To prepare these reports, Grigory traveled to Helsinki, Stockholm, and the Swedish island of Gotland, where he met with national and local politicians, environmentalists, civil engineers, academics, underwater archaeologists, fishermen, and ordinary citizens, who expressed a very wide range of opinions about this massive project that may very well alter their lives irreversibly. The last stop on Grigory’s journey was the Danish island of Bornholm in the southern Baltic, where, after great efforts to coordinate schedules, he finally managed to catch up with the elusive research vessel Pollux, which is conducting the most detailed survey ever undertaken of the Baltic Sea bed for Nord Stream. The ship was scheduled leave port once again only a few hours after Grigory landed on Bornholm, but he nevertheless managed to tour the vessel, meet with the experts on board, and see for himself the work it is doing before it cast off to sea. Grigory’s hosts were two management-level Nord Stream engineers: Bob Pirie (who works on board the Pollux as it surveys the sea bed) and Simon Bonnell (who flew in especially to meet with Grigory and answer his questions). Here then is Grigory Pasko’s report from the Pollux – the final installment in his year-long investigative series on Nord Stream.] The Nord Stream Chronicles “The bottom of the Baltic is safe for the pipeline,” say the specialists of the company Marin Mätteknik AB By Grigory Pasko A reference map hanging on the wall onboard the Pollux (photo by Grigory Pasko)