4,900 TAP Line Pipes to be Safely Transported to Korça

TAP started the transport of some 4,900 steel line pipes, mostly 18 meters long, from the main marshalling yard in Durrës towards the Korça region. This will enable TAP to begin 2017 construction activities on the eastern segment of the pipeline, approximately 86.5 km long, or 40% of TAP’s 215 km onshore section in Albania.

As the geography of this pipeline segment is complex – proceeding to heights of 1,800 meters above sea level before reaching the mountainous Çorovoda areas – special attention  has been paid to safety as well as minimising any disturbance to residents. The completion of the first access roads and bridges rehabilitation phase in Korça in November 2016 boosted safety conditions for the transportation of line pipes.

Additionally, TAP’s contractor responsible for pipe transportation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior Affairs and the General Directorate of State Police developed a joint strategy to enable safe transport, minimise disturbances and avoid traffic jams. A special police officers task force has been built and trained to escort the pipe trucks from the main marshalling yard to the local pipe yards along the construction corridor.

To date, approximately 65% of the 13’000 pipes used for the onshore section of the TAP pipeline in Albania have arrived. Approximately 4,000 pipes have been transported to the Fier area, 300 to the Berat area and 300 towards the Korça area. TAP’s contractor Spiecapag and its selected partner and subcontractor, Albanian company Diamant shpk, are undertaking this process.