Allseas’ giant Pioneering Spirit pipelayer has completed the installation of Line 1 of Gazprom’s TurkStream gas pipeline in the Black Sea, connecting Russia and Turkey.
According to Gazprom, the average rate of the deep-water pipelay carried out by the pipelaying vessel Pioneering Spirit was 4.3 km/day. The maximum pipelaying rate – 5.6 km/day – was reached twice in February 2018.
TurkStream pipeline starts on the Russian coast near the town of Anapa, runs over 930 kilometers through the Black Sea, and comes ashore in the Thrace region of Turkey. Once fully completed, the project will consist of two offshore pipelines, both with a capacity to transport up to 15.75 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas per year (31.5 BCM in total).
Gas transported via the first pipeline is destined for the Turkish market. The second pipeline is planned to be directed towards the Turkish-European border. First gas is expected to flow through Turkstream in December 2019.
According to Gazprom, the project is being simultaneously implemented onshore in Russia and Turkey and in the Black Sea. The receiving terminal is being constructed near the settlement of Kiyiköy, Turkey. Upon completion of the landfall sections, the works on the first line will be completed.
Following the works schedule, Pioneering Spirit will continue the deep-water pipelay of Line 2 in the third quarter of 2018.
Gazprom Chairman Alexey Miller said:”We have reached an important milestone – the completion of Line 1. Progress is moving at a high rate. Since May 7, 2017 , when we started the pipelaying campaign, the total of 1,161 km of pipes has been laid, which is 62% of the overall gas pipeline length. Needless to say, TurkStream will play a significant role in strengthening energy security of Turkey and Europe.”
Turkey is Gazprom’s second largest export market. Currently, Russian gas is delivered to Turkey via the Blue Stream gas pipeline and the Transbalkan Corridor. In 2017, Gazprom supplied the record 29 bcm of gas to the Turkish market. This is 4.3 bcm (17.3%) more than in 2016 and 1.7 bcm (6.2%) more than in 2014, when the previous maximum of 27.3 bcm was achieved.