Santa Cruz, Argentina
We increased gas production from the field in the Strait of Magellan by more than 60%, within the confines of a rigorous environmental care plan, as well as in extreme geographical and climatic conditions.
people working on site
million construction hours
The project included laying a 20-kilometer underwater gas pipeline, increasing the capacity of existing underwater pipelines, working on platforms, and building an onshore plant and new facilities.
Start date
engineering hours
supply hours
million construction hours
million contract
Completion date
Start date
engineering hours
supply hours
million construction hours
million contract
Completion date
| Customer | UTE - ENAP SIPETROL ARGENTINA S.A.- YPF S.A. |
| Scope of work | EPC |
Segment
Oil & Gas
Having to operate alongside a colony of over 700,000 penguins was one of the biggest environmental challenges we’ve ever had to face. Following a rigorous process of consulting and training, the project became a success story. Another requirement for this project was strict supervision and monitoring by the Construction Department to train local personnel and achieve the project goals, according to the schedule, as well as high standards of safety, quality and environmental care.
Working at the southernmost tip of Patagonia
The Strait of Magellan is a maritime passage lying at the southern end of Patagonia. It is the main natural passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and one of the most hostile areas on the planet for this type of works, in terms of sea currents, waves and winds.
Argentina
Latitude
Longitude
2016-2018
First works
Techint E&C began work on this project in 2016. The teams started work on the compressor plant.
Underwater pipe laying
The Techint E&C team supervised the work to lay the pipes underwater, which was carried out by various specialized contractors on board a vessel dedicated to this purpose.
One every ten minutes
This was the rate at which the tubes were lowered to the seabed, monitored by an underwater remotely operated vehicle. On the work vessel was a production line housing all the different phases, from pipe alignment and welding to the anti-corrosion coating for the welded joints.
Autonomous diving
Teams of divers worked on the upper section of the riser at depths of up to forty meters, ensuring the proper connection between the platform and the gas pipeline. The tidal range of 10 m and the strong currents around the site made it vital to work in close coordination with the platforms and taking extreme safety precautions.
Saturation diving
This is a specialized type of diving which was used for one of the most complicated stages of the project, working on connections up to sixty meters deep. The divers were housed in a hyperbaric chamber aboard the work vessel, enabling them to remain at the same pressure while they worked at depth.
Strict controls
The services of a dedicated oceanographic buoy were contracted to monitor the climatic and oceanographic conditions in the area. This was a fundamental tool for the contractually-required monitoring of the underwater pipeline laying tasks and diving activities.
Air, sea and land
All the crew onboard the ships, and the personnel working on the platforms, were transferred by helicopter from the ENAP facilities in Faro Vírgenes.
On the coast
Techint E&C laid one kilometer of a gas pipeline to connect the offshore line with the onshore plant built to treat and compress the gas, and another kilometer of gas pipeline that in turn connected to the junction of the General San Martín gas pipeline.
4 million cubic meters
This is the daily amount of natural gas received by the treatment plant (the new addition plus the existing one) following the completion of the work, in addition to 1,000 m3 of crude oil.
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