The 1200-km pipeline, which is expected to come online in 2010, will connect Russia's Portovaya Bay on the Gulf of Finland, near St Petersburg, to Germany's Greifswald via the Baltic seabed. The project is designed to minimize transit risks associated with Russian gas supplies to Western Europe. Mr Serdyukov said the project operator had sent invitations for the tender to three Japanese pipe producers (Sumitomo, Nippon Steel, and JFE), Germany's Europipe, and two Russian companies - the Vyksy Metallurgical Works and the Izhora Pipe Plant. Nord Stream AG, originally called the North European Gas Pipeline Co, was renamed in October last year. Gazprom owns 51% of the consortium, while Germany's E.ON Ruhrgas AG and Wintershall AG each hold 24.5%.