Italy’s engineering, drilling, and construction services giant Saipem has confirmed the wrap-up of an offshore installation campaign, which has put a new production platform in place at a multibillion-euro natural gas project in the Romanian waters of the Black Sea.
The Italian player’s Saipem 7000 semi-submersible crane vessel has completed the offshore installation campaign for the production platform of the €4-billion Neptun Deep gas development project in the Romanian Black Sea, achieving what the firm deems to be a “key” milestone in the development of the largest offshore natural gas project currently under development in the European Union (EU).
The confirmation comes only days after OMV Petrom (operator) and its partner, Romgaz, unveiled the installation of the Neptun Alpha platform, following the delivery of both the jacket and the topsides, which were manufactured by the Italian giant at its shipyards in Arbatax (Italy) and Karimun (Indonesia), respectively. The Neptun Deep natural gas project is slated to come online in 2027.
The assignment, which Saipem secured in 2023, encompasses the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of a gas production platform, the subsea works for the Domino and Pelican fields, situated in approximately 1,000 and 125 meters of water depth respectively, and the laying of a 160-kilometre-long 30-inch offshore gas pipeline, together with a fibre-optic cable, connecting the platform to the Romanian coast.
The operations for the installation campaign entailed the installation of the jacket, a structure around 135 meters high and weighing more than 7,500 tonnes, built at Saipem Offshore Construction’s yard in Arbatax, Sardinia, as one of the largest structures ever fabricated at the site.
After being transported to the Black Sea, the jacket was lifted, upended, positioned and secured to the seabed using eight steel piles. The operation was completed with the installation of the approximately 9,000-tonne platform topside, which is also one of the largest modules ever fabricated at the Italian firm’s Karimun yard in Indonesia.
The platform, which is fully automated and controlled remotely, will feed the processed gas into the 160-kilometer offshore pipeline laid by vessels from the company’s fleet, including the Castorone for deep-water installation, and the Castoro 10 for near-shore installation. The end of the offshore platform installation campaign is seen as a significant step towards first production from the Neptun Deep project.
Saipem claims that this achievement further confirms its ability to deliver complex offshore energy infrastructure projects by combining engineering expertise, execution capabilities and one of the most advanced fleets in the industry.
“The project also highlights the contribution of Italian industry and engineering to the development of strategic energy infrastructure for Europe, supporting the continent’s energy security and diversification of supply sources,” emphasized the company.
The Italian giant recently won multiple assignments, including a drillship deal with Eni off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire.
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