DeepOcean hired for Nord Stream 2 ploughing work

DeepOcean has been awarded a contract to carry out ploughing operations on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

The Nord Stream 2 project, operated by Gazprom-owned subsidiary Nord Stream 2 AG, concerns the construction of an offshore natural gas transmission system comprising of two 1,220 km pipelines from the Russian Baltic Sea to the German Baltic coast.

Nord Stream 2 AG has awarded DeepOcean a contract for ploughing operations along pre-defined sections of the pipeline. The award covers project management, engineering, survey and ploughing activities.

DeepOcean said Monday that the onshore project team would work out of DeepOcean’s offices in Darlington, UK. Offshore execution will be performed with DeepOcean’s AMP500 Plough in two campaigns over 2018 and 2019.

DeepOcean’s Commercial Director for Cable Installation & Trenching, Andrew Piasecki, said:

“DeepOcean are proud to be selected by Nord Stream 2 AG as their solution for ploughing works on this milestone project. We shall deploy our AMP500 plough to bury the 48” pipelines, building upon our extensive experience in the offshore trenching market and enhancing our position as a trusted partner for challenging burial projects. We look forward to supporting our client in delivering this key project safely and to specification.”

The two 1,200-km Nord Stream 2 pipelines will mostly follow the route of the existing Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea – from the coast of Russia to Greifswald on Germany’s northern coast. The project will have the capacity to transport up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Europe, connecting with pipelines within the European Union for onwards transmission.

Gazprom expects the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be completed in 2019.