Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG, which is overseeing the development of a transnational natural gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Europe, has selected Salzgitter Mannesmann International GmbH to supply roughly 270 km of the onshore 48" line pipe as well as 1,559 pipe bends needed for both onshore (48") and offshore (36") use. The onshore sections will be constructed in Albania, Greece and Italy; the offshore will span the Adriatic. The contract award is for 170,000 tonnes of line pipe altogether.

The large-diameter pipes are to be manufactured by EUROPIPE GmbH, Mülheim, a joint venture of the Salzgitter Group and the AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke. The order will secure employment for several months. The shareholders of EUROPIPE will be supplying the pre-material. The production of 1,559 pipe bends for the overall line of 870 km is the largest order ever in the history of the Mülheim based pipe bending plant of Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH. The order will ensure capacity utilization of the pipe bending plant for a year.

Ian Bradshaw, Managing Director at TAP, said: “I would like to congratulate Salzgitter Mannesmann International for its successful bid and thank all those companies that took part in this tender. TAP has employed a rigorous selection process in this round of contract awards and will continue to do so, selecting companies based on their technical competence, health and safety standards as well as a number of other selection criteria that adhere to international best practice.”

“TAP plans to award several more large contracts by the end of the year. This will enable pipeline construction to begin in Greece, Albania and Italy in 2016 as planned,” Bradshaw added.

This year TAP has awarded several contracts: construction and rehabilitation of access roads and bridges in Albania (April 2015), large diameter ball valves and actuators (July 2015), and turbo compressors (September 2015) and fittings, isolating joints and scraper traps (October 2015).