TAP Completes the Shipment of Pipes to Albania, Tap Press Release, 20 June 2017

Tirana, Albania. On 16 June, the last shipment of steel line pipes for building the Albanian onshore section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was offloaded in the port of Durrës.

Less than 15 months since the first pipes delivered to Albania, the vessel MV Galene M discharged the last cargo containing 726 pipes. This was the 15^th shipment transporting steel pipes from Germany, where they had been produced. Approximately 13,000 pipes, bends, and various equipment and machinery weighing more than 200,000 tonnes have been delivered to Durrës since April 2016.

Karl Roberts, TAP Project Manager for Albania, noted: “The discharge of the line pipes and bends was an operation undertaken with military precision. The pipes were transported to Durrës by TAP’s supplier, Salzgitter Mannesmann International GmbH of Germany, using INTRAHA Reederei-Kontor GmbH, who was responsible for shipping, offloading and transportation to our Main Marshalling Yard. Thanks is also extended to Diamant Logistics who have been a key sub-contractor in the pipe transportation operation.

The pipes and bends were then offloaded and inspected at the Main Marshalling Yard by Spiecapag. Virtually the whole in-country operation was undertaken by local suppliers and TAP is immensely proud of the fact that all activities were completed without any incident,” Roberts added.

The entire process was carried out in line with the TAP project timeframe and to the highest safety standards. From the Main Marshalling Yard, the pipes are transported further to the local marshalling yards of the construction sites, along the pipeline route.

The last pipe shipment to Albania marks another important milestone towards the completion of the pipeline project.

TAP pipes – Facts & Figures

The length of the TAP onshore section in Albania is 215 km.
Approximately 13,000 pipes, 18 and 12 meters long, are used for the construction of the pipeline in Albania.
1.2 m is the pipes diameter.
The weight of a single 18-meter pipe ranges from 9.3 tonnes to 16.3 tonnes (depending on the wall thickness).
The total weight of the pipes required for the onshore section in Albania is approximately 123,795 tonnes in Albania, the equivalent of 17 Eiffel Towers.
More than 800 bends will be used in Albania.
The pipes were manufactured by Salzgitter Mannesmann International, a German company.