The Swiss-owned “Pioneering Spirit”, the largest construction vessel ever built, brought the Bosphorus Strait to a halt this week on its way to a major Black Sea pipeline project.
The mammoth vessel is headed for the port of Anapa (Russia) after a three-week journey that began in the Netherlands on May 13. On Wednesday, traffic and ferry lines across the symbolic Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul were suspended to allow the giant to make its way from Europe to Asia.
The Swiss company Allseas, which specialises in pipeline installation and subsea construction, owns the 382 metre-long and 124 metre-wide twin-hulled ship. Built over a three-year period in South Korea, the vessel began operational work in summer 2016 and flies under a Maltese flag.
Not only is it the largest construction vessel ever built, but it is also one of the strongest. At the end of April, according to Allseas, it set a world lifting record with the successful removal of a 24,000-tonne oil platform belonging to Shell UK in the North Sea.
The vessel is headed to assist on the Turkish Stream pipeline project, which will start from Anapa in Russia and cover a 900-kilometre route under the Black Sea to reach Thrace on the Turkish coast. The gas pipelines are also planned to extend as far as southern and southeastern Europe.
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Switzerland – the discreet shipping giant
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.