TurkStream's construction vessel on way to Black Sea

By Murat Temizer

ANKARA (AA) - The Pioneering Spirit vessel, which will carry out the construction of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline's offshore section, arrived at the Canakkale Strait early on Tuesday, according to the vessel's Swiss owner, Allseas.

Officials from Allseas told Anadolu Agency that the vessel's final destination would be Anapa on the northern Black Sea coast in Russia where the first pipe laying for the TurkStream project will start. The 382 meters long and 124 meters wide vessel is expected to arrive in Anapa on June 2.

Shipping data revealed that the ship, flying a Maltese flag, departed from the Netherlands on May 13.

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