Saipem 7000 Completes 2nd Blue Stream Pipeline

Saipem 7000 has completed the deepwater installation of the second line of the Blue Stream project, the gasline that will bring, at full capacity, 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Turkey.

Eni and Saipem announce that pipelay of the second and last of the two pipelines for the transport of gas from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea, as part of the Blue Stream project, has been completed. Pipelaying vessel Saipem 7000 has completed deepwater installation activities commenced late February in the Russian part of the Black Sea. The first line was laid between October 2001 and February 2002, Saipem 7000 having crossed the Bosphorus Strait in August 2001. The two 24" diameter, 385 Km long pipelines have been laid at a record water depth of 2150m. Tie-in will be performed on the Turkish side in the next few weeks by Castoro 8, another vessel of the Saipem fleet.

Hydrotest and pre-commissioning activities are scheduled to be completed by end September for the first line and by year end for the second line.

The implementation of the Blue Stream project involves a US$2.3 billion investment. Advanced technology and high-quality materials enabled to successfully meet a number of exceptional challenges, including pipelaying at record water depth, the very difficult seabed conditions on both Turkish and Russian sides, and unfavorable weather conditions with winds exceeding 50 knots.