BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 13. The offshore jacket destined for Romania’s Neptun Deep gas development has departed from Saipem’s Arbatax shipyard in Sardinia following the completion of load-out operations, marking a key milestone in one of the European Union’s most significant energy projects.
“The jacket destined to Neptun Deep Gas Development project in Romania has sailed away from Saipem’s shipyard in Arbatax, Sardinia, following the load-out operations completed recently,” the company said in a message on its website.
Neptun Deep—developed by OMV Petrom as operator together with Romgaz—is the largest offshore natural gas project currently under development in the EU, with total investments estimated at up to €4 billion.
The structure shipped from Sardinia is part of a massive offshore system designed to unlock deepwater gas reserves in the Black Sea. Weighing around 7,500 tons and standing approximately 135 meters tall, the jacket is one of the largest ever built at Saipem’s Arbatax facility. It was constructed horizontally and will be transported and installed in the same orientation before being lifted into position offshore.
Once it arrives in the Black Sea, the structure will be raised vertically by the Saipem 7000 crane vessel and installed on the seabed, where it will be secured using eight steel piles, each about 2.5 meters in diameter.
Beyond the jacket itself, the project scope covers the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCIC) of a gas processing platform located at roughly 100 meters water depth. It also includes three subsea developments—at around 1,000 meters in the Domino field and approximately 100 meters in the Pelican field—along with a 30-inch gas pipeline stretching about 160 kilometers and a fiber-optic cable connecting the offshore facilities to the Romanian coast.
The gas processing platform will be fabricated across Saipem’s industrial bases in Italy and Indonesia, while offshore installation activities will be carried out using the Saipem 7000 and JSD 6000 vessels. In addition, material testing and technological analysis for the project will be conducted in Romania through Saipem’s local entity in Ploiești.
According to the company, the project contributes to the diversification of Europe’s energy supply sources while reinforcing Saipem’s position as a leading global offshore engineering contractor. It also highlights the technical expertise and operational capacity required to deliver complex deepwater infrastructure on an international scale.
Once completed, Neptun Deep is expected to significantly boost Romania’s offshore gas output and play a strategic role in strengthening the European Union’s energy security and supply diversification.
