Saipem’s 165-meter-long pipelay vessel Castoro 10 has begun the construction of an offshore pipeline in the Romanian part of the Black Sea that will transport natural gas from an offshore production platform to shore as part of the Neptun Deep project.

With estimated investments of up to €4 billion, OMV Petrom, Romania-headquartered affiliate of Austria’s OMV, together with Romgaz, is progressing the development of the Neptun Deep project with first gas on schedule for 2027.

The pipeline will be approximately 160 kilometers long, with a diameter of 30” (76 cm). Castoro 10, the first vessel destined for deployment at the project, has arrived in Romania to install the first section of the pipeline in the coastal area, with the connection to be made via a microtunnel already constructed in Tuzla.

“Neptun Deep is a strategic project for Romania and for the energy security of the region, involving investments of around EUR 4 billion and an estimated annual production of around 8 billion cubic meters of natural gas. In 2026, we will make significant progress here in Romania: installing the offshore pipeline, subsea equipment, and the production platform. All activities are carried out to the highest safety and quality standards, with the objective of starting production in 2027,” said Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom.

Two other vessels involved in the installation activities include Saipem’s Castorone, with its 330-meter length one of the largest and most powerful offshore pipelayers, and the 215-meter JSD 6000 multipurpose deep‑water pipelaying and heavy‑lift vessel, which will install the subsea infrastructure in the deepwater area, connecting the wells to the production platform.

“The installation work planned for this year involves mobilizing a fleet of approximately 50 vessels – up to 10 of which are involved in the pipeline installation work. These are world-class vessels specialized in subsea installations, including some of the largest offshore units in the world,” said Cristian Hubati, OMV Petrom Executive Board member responsible for Exploration and Production.

Neptun Deep includes the offshore production platform, three subsea systems, 10 production wells – 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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