South Stream gas pipeline construction in shallow waters to begin in first 10 days of June - Board of Directors Member Aksyutin

MOSCOW, May 19. / TASS / South Stream gas pipeline construction in shallow waters will begin in first 10 days of June, said Board of Directors member Oleg Aksyutin at a company press conference on Tuesday. "The work in shallow waters will begin in early June," said Markelov. Two vessels will take part in the pipeline construction. The first pipeline will be put in place by the Italian company Saipem. As it was previously, reported by TASS, earlier this month, Gazprom instructed to begin the Turkish Stream construction. The contractor has been waiting for this order since December 1, 2014, when Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will not carry out the South Stream project and is and embarking on the Turkish stream. In contrast to the "South Stream", which involved a large-scale infrastructure construction in Europe, the project "Turkish Stream" limited construction pipeline under the Black Sea and the timing hub on the border between Turkey and Greece. All other infrastructure of European customers, "Gazprom" will have to build themselves. Unlike the South Stream, which involved a large-scale infrastructure construction in Europe, the Turkish Stream project is limited to the construction of the pipeline under the Black Sea and the timing hub on the border between Turkey and Greece. All other infrastructure will have to be built by the Gazprom European customers. Earlier, Saipem received a notice from its client South Stream Transport BV lifting the suspension of the natural gas pipeline laying in the Black Sea. "Saipem announces that it has received notice that the client South Stream Transport BV is lifting the suspension of work under the contracts, and that Saipem should commence works on the offshore pipeline in the Black Sea," the company reported. Saipem, a subsidiary of Italian energy company ENI, was awarded with the contract on pipes laying for the offshore segment of the South Stream gas pipeline. The work was suspended at the request of the customer after Russia announced the project shutdown. Earlier, the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller said that the Turkish Stream pipeline is scheduled to begin operation in December 2016. "An understanding has been reached [between Russia and Turkey] on the start of the pipeline operation and gas deliveries via the Turkish Stream in December 2016," Miller said on May 8. "Gazprom will proceed from the accords reached in its schedule of work under the Turkish Stream project," said Miller, after a meeting with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz. The larger part of the Turkish Stream pipe will run across the Black Sea and coincide with the South Stream route approved earlier. Gazprom and Turkey’s Botas signed a memorandum of understanding on December 1, 2014 on building the pipeline’s offshore section across the Black Sea. The Turkish Stream will have an annual capacity of 63 billion cubic meters, of which 47 billion cubic meters will be delivered to a new gas hub on the Turkish-Greek border. Gazprom Russkaya Company will be in charge of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline construction. Read more