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The Russian Ivan Sidorenko offshore supply ship docked at the German port of Mukran in Sassnitz on Thursday, with the vessel seen in images from the harbour.
Uncited reports in Russian newspaper Kommersant say the ship is carrying materials to supply Russian pipe laying vessel Akademik Cherskiy, for continued work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The project is due to supply gas from Russia to Europe across the Baltic Sea.
According to shipping data, the Akademik Cherskiy is also docked at the port of Mukran, where pipes and other materials for the gas project are currently being stored.
Ruptly has requested a comment from Russian gas company Gazprom but has so far received no reply.
The future of the Nord Stream 2 project has been called into question by EU and German politicians in the wake of claims that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was poisoned in Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, said on Wednesday that the gas project should not be politicised, stressing that it was a commercial scheme beneficial for both the EU and Russia.
Navalny arrived in Berlin aboard a medical plane on August 22, after falling ill during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow on August 20. The original plane had been forced to make an emergency landing in Omsk where Navalny was rushed to hospital. The hospital in Omsk where Navalny was initially treated had dismissed the possibility of poisoning. German, French and Swedish authorities have since said he was poisoned with a nerve agent from the Novichok group.
Peskov has said Russia’s efforts to cooperate with Germany on the case have so far been rejected. He called for further investigation and clarification of the matter.
On Monday Navalny was removed from a ventilator and was able to leave his bed for short periods of time, according to hospital officials. A picture of Navalny from his hospital bed along with family members was posted to his Instagram account on Tuesday.
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