TurkStream’s construction vessel transits Istanbul

By Ali Cevahir Akturk

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Pioneering Spirit vessel, which will carry out the construction of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline's offshore section, transited Istanbul’s Bosphorus on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications suspended international two-way marine traffic on the Bosphorus due to the crossing of the 382-meter-long and 124-meter-wide vessel which is expected to arrive in Anapa on the northern Black Sea coast in Russia on June 2.

Officials from Allseas -- the vessel’s Swiss owner -- told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday that the vessel's final destination would be Anapa where the first pipe-laying for the TurkStream project will start.

Shipping data revealed that the Maltese-flagged departed from the Netherlands on May 13.

The pipes for the TurkSteam will start from Anapa and will be laid over a 900-kilometer route under the Black Sea to reach the Thrace region of Turkey along the Black Sea coast.

The TurkStream pipeline is a transit-free export gas pipeline which will not only stretch across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey but will further extend to Turkey's border with neighboring countries.

One line is expected to supply the Turkish market, while a second line will carry gas to southern and southeastern Europe. Each line will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year.