Indian-based Tata Steel company has manufactured a large diameter 42" pipe which will set an industry standard by becoming the deepest to be laid for 140 kilometers in the Mexican section of the Gulf of Mexico.

The company was awarded a contract to supply 457mm OD x 28.6mm WT API 5L PSL2 X65MO line pipe from its large diameter 42" Double Submerged Arc Welded (DSAW) mill in Hartlepool, UK for the development. The project marked the first where a pipeline had been laid at water depths greater than 3,000 feet in the Mexican section of the Gulf. Tata Steel was selected for the project due to its extensive experience in the manufacture of small diameter and thick wall deepwater line pipe.

Richard Broughton, Commercial Manager, Energy and Power, Tata Steel said: "Our investment in the DSAW mill and our continuous improvement discipline enables us to offer extremely high integrity solutions to our clients for the most challenging of offshore and onshore projects."

He added that the overall benefit of the investments is evident in the welding quality performance achieved during the project in the Gulf of Mexico where small diameter and thick wall pipe is typically "more challenging".