Moscow, Sep 7 (IANS): The last pipe of the two strings of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline has been completed, the operating company said in a statement.

"On September 6, 2021, specialists on the laybarge Fortuna welded the last pipe of the two strings of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline," the company, Nord Stream 2 AG, said in the statement issued on Monday.

"As the next step, the section of the pipe coming from the German shore will be connected to the section coming from the Danish waters in a so-called above water tie-in," it added.

The company intends to put the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into operation before the end of the year.

It said the project will ensure gas supply security and reliability, and "contribute to meeting long-term needs of the European energy market for gas imports".

The 1,230-km gas pipeline, expected to be completed next month, would bring 55 billion cubic metres of gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

The US has long claimed that the Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical manoeuver by Moscow that will undermine Ukraine's role in transiting energy to Europe and increase European dependence on Russian gas.

But Germany and Russia have insisted that the project is purely commercial.