The Pioneering Spirit vessel yesterday resumed the pipelaying operations for the second string of the TurkStream offshore gas pipeline, moving towards the Kiyikoy settlement in Turkey.
After entering the Black Sea on June 20, the vessel conducted a set of preparatory works, including stinger deployment and pipelay equipment check-ups. The pipeline head of the second string was recovered from the bottom of the Black Sea on the border of Russian and Turkish exclusive economic zones (EEZs) at a depth of 2,170 meters. The 224-kilometer section of the pipeline leading to the EEZ border was built in 2017.
In April 2018, pipelaying for the first string of TurkStream’s offshore section was completed, with a total of 1,161 kilometers (62 per cent of the overall gas pipeline length) of pipes laid along the two strings.
TurkStream is the project for an export gas pipeline stretching across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and further to Turkey's border with neighboring countries. The first string of TurkStream is intended for Turkish consumers, while the second string will deliver gas to southern and southeastern Europe. Each string will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. South Stream Transport B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, is responsible for the construction of the gas pipeline's offshore section.
Source: Gazprom