BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 15
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The subsea section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) from Italian coast will start soon, Trend reports citing a message from TAP AG consortium.
TAP AG said that Castoro Sei vessel of Italy’s Saipem company, which is a contractor for construction of the subsea section, has already arrived in Brindisi port on the Adriatic Sea, in southern Italy’s Apulia region.
“The Castoro Sei is a semi-submersible pipelayer ship that provides a safe, reliable, stable and environmentally friendly operating platform, capable of laying underwater pipelines up to 60 ″ in diameter. The ship is 152 meters long, 70.5 wide and can accommodate up to 347 people on board,” reads the message.
Reportedly, the pipelay work will begin within about 10 days after completing the loading of the sections of the pipes on the Castoro Sei and once the works are completed at the exit point of the microtunnel to the sea.
TAP marked the start of construction works for the offshore pipeline section in October 2018.
The first offshore pipes in Albanian waters were laid in March 2019.
TAP’s offshore section, linking the Albanian and the Italian coasts, is 105 km long.
The pipes will be laid on the Adriatic seabed: 37 km in Albanian territorial waters, 25 km in Italian territorial waters; and 43 km in international waters.
The deepest point of the pipeline will be more than 810 metres beneath sea level. Approximately 9,000 pipes, with a 36-inch diameter, will be used, weighing approximately 100,000 tonnes in total.
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.
Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.
The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.
Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
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