Laying the offshore pipeline on the seabed of the Gulf of Finland began on 20 May 2019 in Inkoo, marking a new phase in the Balticconnector project.
Image: A pipeline project. Photo: courtesy of outgunned21/Freeimages.com.
The pipe laying, which was started on the Finnish end, progressed efficiently thanks to favourable conditions, with the end of the pipeline laid on the seabed on 14 June 2019. After this, the Lorelay vessel made a turn and the installation of the other end started in Paldiski and was completed on 17 June 2019. The final phase of the offshore pipeline installation was connecting the ends of the pipeline. This phase is now finished and the installation of the offshore pipeline was completed on 24 June 2019.
“It feels great to have the ends of the offshore pipeline in plain view on both sides of the Gulf of Finland. Installing the offshore pipeline is the biggest single work phase in the Balticconnector project, and completing it ahead of time is the result of an excellent cooperation between different stakeholders,” says Project Director Tom Främling with satisfaction.
After the pipe laying, the next phase is shielding work, in which the offshore pipeline is partly covered with quarry stones. This phase has already been started in parallel with the pipe laying work and will be completed in July. An offshore pipeline pressure test will be carried out in July-August, after which the pipeline will be emptied and dried. The offshore pipeline will be connected to the onshore pipelines in Finland and Estonia according to plans during the autumn.
“I’m happy to say that the targets set for Balticconnector are being met one by one and we are progressing according to plan and heading towards the completion and commissioning of the pipeline by the end of 2019,” says Herkko Plit, the President and CEO of Baltic Connector Oy.
Source: Company Press Release