The Castoro Sei (Italian for Beaver Six) was a column-stabilized semi-submersible pipelay vessel. She had an overall length of 152 metres (499 ft), a width of 70.5 metres (231 ft) and an operating draught of 7.8 to 15.5 metres (26 to 51 ft).
 The Castoro Sei in the Baltic Sea, south-east of Gotland on contract to Nord Stream, March 2011
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Castoro Sei |
| Owner | Saipem[1] |
| Operator | Saipem |
| Port of registry | Nassau,  Bahamas |
| Builder | Fincantieri, Italy |
| Yard number | 4334 |
| Laid down | 20 May 1975 |
| Completed | 1978 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped Aliaga, May 2022 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 31,506 GT |
| Length | 152 m (499 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 70.5 m (231 ft)[1] |
| Draught | 15.5 m (51 ft)[1] |
| Depth | 29.8 m (98 ft) |
| Speed | 5.8 knots (10.7 km/h; 6.7 mph)[2] |
| Crew | 330[1] |
The Castoro Sei was equipped with 2 rotating gantry cranes of 134 tonnes capacity, three 130 tonnes pipe tensioners and a 400 tonnes abandon and recovery winch for pipelaying. She provided accommodation for 354 people.[1]
The firing line comprises the fixed pipelay ramp, enclosed in the central housing, running along the longitudinal centreline of the vessel. It is connected to an internal and external ramp, both of which have adjustable inclination to facilitate pipelay in varying water depths. A ramp extension unit is available for use in deep water or for severe seabed conditions.[1]
The Castoro Sei was built in 1978 by Fincantieri at Trieste yard, and was owned and operated by Saipem. Her port of registry was Nassau, in the Bahamas.
It has been used for laying a number of pipelines in the Black Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea, including Blue Stream, Greenstream, Medgaz, Trans-Mediterranean, Europipe II, and BBL pipelines.[3][4][5][6] The vessel also laid most of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in the Baltic Sea.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Castoro Sei". Saipem. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
- ^ "Castoro Sei". Marine Tracker. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
- ^ "Libyan Gas Transmission System". Royal Boskalis Westminster. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "Update on MEDGAZ offshore pipeline construction works". Steel Guru. 2008-12-28. Archived from the original on 2008-12-29. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
- ^ "Europipe II fully laid" (Press release). Statoil. 1999-06-04. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
- ^ "BBL Company Offshore" (Press release). BBL Company. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ^ Petrova, Alla (2010-03-26). "First Nord Stream pipelay vessel enters Baltic Sea". The Baltic Course. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
- ^ "Nord Stream Pipeline - Pipe Laying Vessel..Saipem's Castoro Sei". www.wermac.org. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
