TurkStream enters Turkish Economic Exclusive Zone

ANKARA The first pipeline of the TurkStream Offshore Gas Pipeline entered the Turkish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on 4 November 2017, the Russian company announced Saturday. Pioneering Spirit, world’s largest pipe-layer vessel, marked the occasion by laying down on the seabed the section of the pipeline with Russian and Turkish flags, symbolizing the crossing of the EEZ border between the two countries, company said in a press release. The vessel had crossed the Bosphorus and entered the Black Sea on May 31 and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin had officially started pipelaying on June 23, in the deepwater sections of the Black Sea. According to press release, the border crossing also marks the completion of construction of the two offshore lines within the Russian EEZ. "In total 448 kilometers of the pipeline were laid down, equally divided over the two lines. Construction of nearly 25 percent of the offshore pipeline section has been realized in less than 6 months." said in the press release. TurkStream will consist of two offshore pipelines, with a total capacity to transport up to 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. Company proclaimed that Pioneering Spirit will now continue the pipelay activities with one pipeline all the way close to the Turkish landfall. The two TurkStream pipelines will come ashore in Turkey near the town of Kiyiköy, which is located approximately 100 kilometers west of Istanbul.