Russian gas giant Gazprom has started construction on the TurkStream natural gas pipeline under the Black Sea to Turkey.
Gazprom said in a statement that Allseas’ vessel Audacia had started laying pipes on the Russian shore of Black Sea.
Construction works for the TurkStream gas pipeline in the deep-water area will be performed by the Pioneering Spirit pipe-laying vessel.
“Today, we started the practical implementation of the TurkStream gas pipeline project: pipe-laying within the offshore section. By late 2019, our Turkish and European consumers will have a new, reliable source of Russian gas imports,” said chief executive Alexei Miller .
The first string of the gas pipeline is intended for Turkish consumers, while the second string will deliver gas to southern and southeastern Europe, according to Gazprom.
Each string will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year.