Raising the solution up a level to deliver water to Cyprus

OVERVIEW

Challenge

A pioneering engineering project, the Mediterranean Subsea Water Pipeline, will see 75 billion cubic metres of fresh water delivered to Northern Cyprus each year from the Mersin province in Southern Turkey.

The Mediterranean Subsea Water Pipeline will deliver much-needed drinking and irrigation water to the north of the island, where supplies are currently dwindling due to inadequate rainfall. However, because the line will cross one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean, where water pressure crushes anything manmade on the seabed, the project has called for an innovative engineering approach.

The project is so unusual that it is to become the subject of a documentary for the National Geographic Channel.

Solution

Instead of placing the pipeline along the seabed, some 1,400 metres below the surface, engineers opted to use a more innovative solution – a suspended pipe. Held up by huge buoys to keep the line afloat at a depth of 250 metres, the pipe will not be affected by water pressure or interfere with shipping movements.

The buoys were manufactured by CRP Subsea (formerly Trelleborg Offshore UK) at its manufacturing facility in Skelmersdale, England. For such a prestigious and novel project, a reliable and high performance solution was essential to ensure the safe floatation and guaranteed performance of the pipe.

CRP Subsea’s modular buoys guarantee that the pipe is protected from impact or damage, while retaining its subsea position to ensure that the vital flow of water makes its journey from Turkey to Cyprus uninterrupted.

Performance, delivered

Following manufacture, the task of moving the buoys was placed with Hemisphere Freight Services Ltd, an independent UK 3PL provider which fulfills logistics services for CRP Subsea in Skelmersdale, including project shipping such as this. Hemisphere sourced the solution with Grange Shipping and its principal Normed International BV. The option was the most effective in terms of logistics costs, convenience and safety. Minimal handling of the buoyancy modules as well as a fast direct transit was achieved by chartering a vessel into the Port of Hull and sailing direct to Tasucu.

Innovation at every level

Modular buoys

“It’s very exciting to see a cargo as significant as this pass through the Port of Hull. It really does demonstrate the versatility and flexibility of our facilities and shows that we are well placed to handle a wide variety of products. We’ll be watching how this particular project progresses with interest.”
Gareth Russell, ABP Business Development Manager, Humber

“We were delighted to work with our partners to ensure their products arrived in Turkey in pristine condition and once again we showed that we can provide a first-class service within the Stevedoring Sector.”
Peter Waud, Operations Director, Global Shipping Services