German EMS-Fehn-Group celebrated the successful completion of the TAP project in the port of Durres/Albania.
During a 15-months-period 135,000 tons of pipes and bends were discharged and transported without a single incident. “The performance of our teams both in Germany and in Albania has been outstanding,“ says Manfred Muller, CEO of EMS-Fehn-Group. “Thanks to their commitment and expertise we reached our main goal and that is to satisfy the expectations of our customers.“
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is currently the most important infrastructure project in the Southern Balkan and reaches from the Turkish-Greek border to Italy. TAP is part of a pipeline which covers the distance of 3500 kilometres and will connect gas fields in the Caspian Sea with Europe.
It took 15 shiploads to bring all pipes and bends for the 215 km long Albanian part of TAP from the German port of Brake to Durres in Albania. The pipes were discharged at the EMS APO terminal in the port of Durres and transferred from there to an intermediate storage area. “We invested heavily in the training of staff members as well as in special handling and safety equipment,“ says EMS APO branch manager Charles Gillespie. “Before the first vessel arrived, we sent our Albanian stevedores to Germany, so they could gather first-hand experience in the handling procedures.“ EMS-Fehn-Group also sent a German safety engineer to Durres to probe and certify all equipment including trailers and trucks to make sure they met the highest safety standards. “These investments paid off in the end,“ Gillespie adds.
Many experts from several EMS-Fehn-Group member companies were involved during the various phases. “This project showed again that we are able to bundle our competence,“ says Manfred Müller.
