South Stream Transport B.V. has awarded the Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. a contract to lay the first line of the TurkStream offshore gas pipeline in the Black Sea, with an option for laying the second line. According to the contract, Allseas is to lay more than 900 km of pipes on the seabed.
Allseas construction vessel Pioneering Spirit - Image courtesy: Allseas
Allseas will engage the world's largest construction vessel, the dynamically positioned Pioneering Spirit, for the job. Pioneering Spirit is equipped with pipelay equipment that makes it possible to install record weight pipelines from shallow to ultra-deep water, and has an S-lay tension capacity of 2000 tonnes. The vessel, currently in the Alexiahaven in Rotterdam, is equipped with a double-joint factory, six welding stations for double joints and six coating stations. Allseas will start laying the first line in the second half of 2017.
TurkStream is the project for the construction of a transit-free 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 the gas pipeline is intended for Turkish consumers, while the second string will deliver gas to southern and southeastern Europe. Each string of TurkStream will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year. On October 10, 2016, Russia and Turkey signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the TurkStream project. South Stream Transport B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, is responsible for the construction of TurkStream’s offshore section.
Allseas Group S.A. is the world’s leading company in offshore pipe-laying and subsea construction. The company is focused on comprehensive project implementation, including design, material and equipment procurement, construction, and commissioning.
Source: Allseas