South Stream Transport B.V. has awarded a contract valuing around € 2 billion to Saipem to build the first line of the South Stream Offshore Pipeline, between Russia and Bulgaria across the Black Sea.
The South Stream Offshore Pipeline will have four parallel gas pipelines each 931 kilometers long and will be laid at depths of about 2,200 meters.
As per the contract, Saipem will be responsible for the installation design, as well as building the entire first line plus the shallow water parts, the shore crossings, the landfall and the associated facilities for the four pipelines.
It is noted that the construction of the pipeline will be executed by Saipem 7000, the state of the art J-Lay vessel suitable for ultra-deep water that has already constructed the Blue Stream pipeline in the Black Sea, and Saipem's Castoro Sei, the S-lay vessel suitable for both shallow and deep waters which has already laid several trunklines, such as the North Stream Pipeline.
Saipem 7000 offshore activities are set to begin at the end of 2014, while the Castoro Sei vessel will shift to Russian waters to start activities in the shallow water in November 2014.
It is expected that the construction of the first line will be run until the Q3 of 2015 with operations by the end of that year.
South Stream Transport B.V. is an international joint venture between Gazprom (50%), Eni (20%), EDF (15%) and Wintershall (15%).
The South Stream Offshore Pipeline will have four parallel gas pipelines each 931 kilometers long and will be laid at depths of about 2,200 meters.
As per the contract, Saipem will be responsible for the installation design, as well as building the entire first line plus the shallow water parts, the shore crossings, the landfall and the associated facilities for the four pipelines.
It is noted that the construction of the pipeline will be executed by Saipem 7000, the state of the art J-Lay vessel suitable for ultra-deep water that has already constructed the Blue Stream pipeline in the Black Sea, and Saipem's Castoro Sei, the S-lay vessel suitable for both shallow and deep waters which has already laid several trunklines, such as the North Stream Pipeline.
Saipem 7000 offshore activities are set to begin at the end of 2014, while the Castoro Sei vessel will shift to Russian waters to start activities in the shallow water in November 2014.
It is expected that the construction of the first line will be run until the Q3 of 2015 with operations by the end of that year.
South Stream Transport B.V. is an international joint venture between Gazprom (50%), Eni (20%), EDF (15%) and Wintershall (15%).