OREANDA-NEWS. November 15, 2013. CNPC's largest pipe-laying barge CPP 601 sailed out from Nantong, Jiangsu province, to undertake the construction of a 29km-long subsea pipeline project in Tanzania.

CPP 601, owned and operated by CNPC affiliated China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau, has a LOA of 121.2m with four full-automatic welding workstations. It is capable of laying pipes of 150mm-1,500mm diameter at a water depth of 5m-150m. The barge has a maximum hoisting capacity of 1,600 tons and can provide accommodation for 376 staff at the same time.

In early August, CPP 601 went through a two-week offshore trial to lay a 200m-long subsea pipeline, and successfully simulated all the key operation procedures. It is expected to arrive in Tanzania in mid-December on its maiden voyage.