Subsea, Offshore Sections Of TurkSream Gas Pipeline Connected In Turkey - Operator

The subsea and offshore sections of the TurkStream pipeline, which will deliver natural gas from Russia to Turkey and Europe through the Black Sea, have been connected off Turkey's shore, TurkStream's operator said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that this symbolized the project's completion

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2019) The subsea and offshore sections of the TurkStream pipeline, which will deliver natural gas from Russia to Turkey and Europe through the Black Sea, have been connected off Turkey's shore, TurkStream's operator said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that this symbolized the project's completion.

The offshore and subsea sections of the pipeline were mounted to a special platform and welded together into one string of the pipeline. After a thorough check, the string was laid on the seabed, at the depth of 32 meters (105 feet). The operation, dubbed surface overlay, was carried out in Russia's territorial waters in January and February, and it was recently completed off Turkey's coast.

"The final pipe joint that connects the subsea and the offshore sections of the TurkStream has been welded in Turkey.

This symbolizes the completion of the entire complex of tasks on creating the gas pipeline in the Black Sea," South Stream Transport B.V. said.

The TurkStream twin-pipeline will have a maximum capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters (1.1 trillion cubic feet) a year. The first leg will deliver Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey for local consumption starting this year.

The second leg is expected to carry gas to Southern and Central Europe, but its route has not yet been determined. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in January that potential EU transit countries needed to get guarantees from Brussels that it would not try to subvert its construction.