Subsea pipeline crossing a first for Iran's gas industry

Iran Gas Engineering and Development Co. has completed construction of a new 3-km subsea pipeline crossing beneath the seabed of the Persian Gulf.

The installation forms part of the 59-km, 30-inch Bandar Abbas-Laft-Gourzin gas transmission line system that will supply gas to Qeshm Island.

CEO Behnam Mirzaei told Shana News Agency earlier this month that the subsea operation, a first for Iran’s gas industry, employed horizontal directional drilling and other technologies adapted for the conditions.

In this case, the application of horizontal directional drilling for the subsea crossings was complicated by a combination of deepwater, heavy vessel traffic in the area, environmental considerations, and passive defense requirements.

According to Mirzaei, the route from Bandar Pol to Bandar Laft on Qeshm Island was chosen as the shortest and most appropriate path for the pipeline, which was laid in a water depth of 70 m.

The gas will provide Qeshm Island with supplies for industries, power plants and residents.