Steel pipes stored in Mukran harbour in Sassnitz, Germany, 8 may 2017. Around 90,000 pipes currently stored on the island of Ruegen are due to be coated in concrete and shipped offshore where they will be used to construct the North Stream 2 pipeline. The company expects to be given the go-ahead for construction by the end of the year. Photo: Stefan Sauer/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa