Jacket for EU’s largest offshore gas development sails away from Saipem’s shipyard

June 15, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Italy’s engineering, drilling, and construction services giant Saipem has confirmed the departure of a jacket destined for a giant natural gas project in the Romanian part of the Black Sea. This project is described as the largest offshore natural gas project currently under development in the European Union (EU).

While announcing that the jacket for the Neptun Deep gas development project in the Romanian Black Sea has left its Sardinian shipyard in Arbatax, Saipem underlined that the sail-away occurred after the recent completion of load-out operations.

The Italian player explained that the foundation, weighing approximately 7,500 tons, is among the largest structures ever built at the shipyard. Standing approximately 135 meters tall and with a base measuring approximately 50 by 50 meters, it was built horizontally and will be transported in the same position.

Once the jacket arrives in the Black Sea, it will be lifted and placed vertically by the Saipem 7000 crane vessel, then installed on the seabed and anchored with eight 2.5-meter-diameter steel piles.

The Neptune Deep gas project is being developed jointly by OMV Petrom, a Romania-headquartered affiliate of Austria’s OMV, together with its partner, Romgaz. The total investment is estimated at €4 billion to achieve first gas in 2027.

The development entails an offshore production platform, three subsea systems, ten production wells, covering four already drilled on Pelican South and six underway on Domino, as well as the onshore gas metering and control station at Tuzla.

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A deal for the project was awarded to Saipem in August 2023 and entails the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of a gas production platform, consisting of the jacket fabricated in Arbatax, Sardinia, upon which the topside, the upper part of the platform, will be installed, coming from the firm’s shipyard in Karimun, Indonesia.

The Italian giant’s scope of work on the project also includes subsea segments for the Domino field, located at a water depth of approximately 1,000 meters, and the Pelican field, at around 125 meters.

In addition, there is the laying of a 30-inch gas pipeline about 160 kilometers long and an associated fiber-optic cable from the offshore platform to the Romanian coast, including microtunneling for shore landing.

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Saipem emphasized: “This initiative contributes to the diversification of the European Union’s energy supply sources and enhances Saipem’s role as an international operator in the offshore energy infrastructure sector.

“The project also confirms the high level of professionalism, technical expertise, and operational capabilities present in the area, enabling it to compete in the most technologically advanced markets.”