Halfwave to build pipeline inspection tool for Nord Stream 2

Oil and gas inspection services company Halfwave has been awarded a contract to design and build in-line inspection tools for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.

Halfwave said on Thursday that the ART Scan tools would be used to inspect the 48″ twin gas pipelines in the Nord Stream 2 project.

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 Nord Stream 2 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.

According to the company, Halfwave was awarded a multi-million-euro contract to custom-build ART Scan tools, which will be used to inspect the new pipelines during the pre-commissioning phase.

The ART Scan tools will have the capability to inspect an entire pipeline in one single run and provide high-resolution inspection results.

Halfwave CEO Paul Cooper said: “This is one of the largest and most exciting contracts that we have been awarded, and we are pleased that Nord Stream 2 AG has recognized the added value the ART technology provides.”

Last month, Gazprom, which manages the project construction through its subsidiary Nord Stream 2 AG, said that the pipeline was on course for completion in 2019. Also, Nord Stream 2 AG and Kvaerner signed a contract for delivery of onshore facilities for the pipeline.