Gale off Britain delays pickup of pipeline gear

August 31, 1982

An Atlantic gale delayed a Soviet freighter picking up six British-made turbines Monday in defiance of an American ban on supplying the Siberian natural gas pipeline.

The delivery of the turbines, made by John Brown Engineering, would make Britain the second European nation to defy President Reagan's embargo on selling US-licensed parts for the 3,600-mile Soviet pipeline. It has generally been accepted by John Brown, which uses American parts made by General Electric, that it will be blacklisted by the Reagan administration, but Washington has so far refused commment.