Vega Pléyade Gas Pipeline, known locally as Gasoducto Vega Pléyade, is an operating gas pipeline running from the Vega Pléyade offshore gas and condensate field to the onshore treatment facilities at Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.  

Tierra del Fuego is an area rich in gas fields. The Vega Pleyade field is one of them, this field is located about 20 km from the coast. The equally named project in 2014 included the construction and installation of an offshore platform and the installation of the pipeline from the Vega Pléyade platform to the shore. Bezemer was involved in the shore crossing section of this pipeline and provided a 500 tonnes linear winch.  

Landfall on a cliff  

Vega Pléyade is one of world’s southernmost natural gas projects. Its location, about 2,900 km south of Buenos Aires comes with a cool sea climate. The eastern coast of Tierra del Fuego experiences a tidal variance of approximately 10 meters, resulting in steep beaches and towering cliffs that extend 10 meters or more above the high waterline. In addition, the coast is often afflicted by strong currents and winds of up to 180 km/hour. 

For this project, a portion of the cliff needed to be removed to create a smooth alignment for the pipe. The pulling spread was placed on top of the cliff, together with a vertical sheave to guide the pipeline up the cliff, to the winch.  

 Harsh weather conditions during the pull 

Due to severe weather conditions in this region, it’s always a challenge to fulfil the job. Despite the continuously changing weather, the 1200-meter pull was completed with success. The pipeline began transporting natural gas in February 2016 and was officially inaugurated in June 2017 by Argentina’s Minister of Energy. 

 This was not the first pull completed by Bezemer in Argentina. In 2010 we completed the Magellan Project, which took place in the same remote area Tierra del Fuego. Read more about this project here.