Italian Saipem awarded contract from Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP)

TAP's 36-inch offshore pipeline across the Adriatic Sea - between the coastlines of Albania and southern Italy - will be approximately 105 km in length, down to approximately 820 meters below sea level at the deepest.

The EPCI scope comprises associated civil works at the landfalls in both Albania and Italy (including micro tunnel), offshore pipeline installation, offshore fiber optic cable supply and installation, as well as pre-commissioning and survey activities, according to the report. The coated offshore 36-inch line pipes, the anodes and the buckle arrestors will be provided by TAP.

Saipem is one of the world leaders in drilling services, as well as in the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of pipelines and complex projects, onshore and offshore, in the oil and gas market.

The TAP is meant to transport natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz 2 field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The approximately 870 km long TAP will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in southern Italy.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters. The pipeline's construction is planned to start in May 2016.