The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) forms an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), enabling the transport of natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz II field to European countries. TAP connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline at the Greek-Turkish border and traverses Northern Greece, Albania, and the Adriatic Sea before reaching the Southern Italian coast, where it interconnects with the Italian natural gas network.  

 Bezemer Dordrecht made a significant contribution to the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline by completing four pipe pulls, each with its accomplishments and intricacies. 

 Linear winch river crossing (July 2018) 

Bezemer’s initial contribution took place in the hills of Albania and consisted of providing a linear winch to complete a river crossing. For this scope of work, we provided the CLI 210 linear winch. This winch was rented to create a maximum pull force of 100mton. 

The river was crossed by means of horizontal drilling. Allowing this pipeline section to not only cross the river but also the hills around it. Our winch was placed at the end of the tunnel and successfully pulled a pipeline 600 meters through the tunnel.  

 Landfalls on the Adriatic coast (April 2019 and Jan 2020) 

Bezemers Second contribution to the TAP project took place in March 2019 on the Albanian and Italian coast. The offshore section of the TAP project consists of an approximately 105 km long offshore pipeline, with landfalls in both Albania and Italy.  

 To accomplish the landfall on the Albanian coast, Bezemer employed the KTC 400, a continuous linear winch with a pulling force of 500 metric tons. Following the completion of the Albanian landfall, the equipment was transported across the Adriatic Sea and installed on the Italian coast to finalize the second landfall. Both landfalls were classic beach pulls, which were successfully completed, enabling the pipeline to traverse the Adriatic Sea. 

 Pipe pull through a tunnel in the mountains (April 2020) 

Our final contribution to the TAP project involved providing winch services for crossing the Albanian mountains. Once again, we supplied the CLI 210, an intermittent winch with a 100 mTon maximum working load. The methodology employed was similar to that of the Osum river crossing. The Mountain was crossed by means of horizontal drilling and the intermittent winch would pull the pipeline through the drilled tunnel in the Albania Mountains. 

 This last project took place mid 2020. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, it was not possible to send our operators to this job, and we trained two of our client’s personnel to operate the Linear Winch. The job was successfully completed without any delays or problems. 

 TAP as part of the Southern Gas Corridor 

At Bezemer, we take pride in our contribution to the TAP project, a project that demonstrates the need for diverse solutions and equipment in a versatile landscape. Throughout this project, we provided various solutions for different contractors, and we applaud all the contributors involved. The completed pipeline significantly extends the Southern Gas Corridor by 877 kilometres, linking the Caspian and Middle Eastern regions to Europe. 

 To gain a comprehensive understanding of the Southern Gas Corridor, we invite you to explore our other contributions. Bezemer was also involved in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project, which encompasses the gas transportation network across Turkey. Additionally, you can delve into the South Caucasus Pipeline Extension (SCPX) project, the extension of the SGC through Georgia and Azerbaijan.  Bezemer provided linear winches for both of these projects.