Trans Adriatic Pipeline completes construction of offshore section
By Ayya Lmahamad
Construction of the 105-kilometer offshore section of the Trans Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), which will transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe, has been completed, pipeline’s consortium press service reported on June 9.
According to the information, this stage included the offshore installation of 36-inch pipes by Castoro Sei, Saipem’s semi-submersible pipelaying vessel, the above-water-tie-in with the onshore infrastructure in Albanian waters, as well as hydrotesting asset to ensure it is safe and ready for operations.
Activities to connect the Italian and Albanian coasts began in mid-January 2020, with pipes being welded and tested on board Castoro Sei and then laid onto the bottom of the Adriatic Sea in a continuous stretch, starting from the Italian shores towards Albania.
The TAP project is now more than 95 percent complete and it is planned to “cross the finish line” by the end of 2020.
Moreover, considering the Covid-19 pandemic, TAP and its contractor Saipem implemented a wide range of stringent measures, aiming to protect the health and safety of all people involved.
TAP will transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz II field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The pipeline will be 878 kilometers long and run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea bottom to southern Italy.
Delivery of Azerbaijani gas to Europe is expected to start in 2020.
TAP’s shareholders are BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
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