On September 10, Italian offshore giant Saipem announced on its official website that Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has awarded it a new offshore contract for the third phase of the Sakarya gas field development project in Turkey. The contract is valued at approximately $1.5 billion.
Under the contract, Saipem’s scope of work includes the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) of eight rigid oil pipelines and a 24-inch diameter, approximately 183-kilometer-long gas export pipeline (GEP). This pipeline will connect offshore oil fields at water depths of up to 2,200 meters to onshore facilities in the Filis region. The total contract duration is approximately three years, with offshore construction scheduled for 2027 to be executed by Saipem’s pipe-laying vessel Castorone.
It is understood that the Sakarya gas field development project is Turkey’s largest offshore natural gas field discovered to date. Located in the Black Sea approximately 170 kilometers off the Turkish coast at a water depth of 2,150 meters, it was confirmed in August 2020 with natural gas reserves estimated at 405 billion cubic meters.
Saipem has completed the first phase of the Sakarya gas field development project awarded in 2021 and is advancing work on the second phase awarded in 2023. By signing new contracts, the company will further consolidate its market position in Turkey and deepen its involvement in strategic projects supporting the country’s energy independence.
The third phase development project of the Sakarya gas field will involve the construction of a dedicated Floating Production Unit (FPU). This unit will receive gas from 27 wells in the Sakarya and Amasra fields and will be connected via a new trunkline pipeline to onshore facilities in the Filyos region along Turkey’s Black Sea coast.
According to an announcement made by Wison New Energies in early September, the company has signed an EPCIC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning) contract for this type of FPU.
As a centerpiece of Phase 3, the FPU has to meet the Black Sea’s challenging conditions, including deepwater operations at 2,150 meters and navigating the Bosphorus Strait’s 56-meter air draft restriction. The FPU is designed with a gas export rate of 25 million SCMD (883 MMSCFD), a produced water treatment capacity of 1,350 sm³/d, and a MEG regeneration and injection capacity of 2,503 m³/d for hydrate inhibition, with a minimum 30-year design life.
Saipem is a leading global engineering contractor specializing in major energy and infrastructure projects (both offshore and onshore), according to its official website. The company employs an integrated operations model encompassing five business segments: asset services, drilling engineering, energy transmission, offshore wind power, and sustainable infrastructure. The company operates five manufacturing facilities and independently operates 17 offshore construction vessels and 13 drilling rigs (nine of which are owned).