OREANDA-NEWS. OAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, today announces that it has won a tender to supply about 100 thousand tonnes of 813 mm diameter pipes for the South Stream Offshore Pipeline. The pipes are to be manufactured by the Izhora Pipe Mill, a part of Severstal’s Russian Steel division.

Sergey Toropov, CEO of Severstal’s Russian Steel division, commented: “We have worked very hard to be a part of this hugely important project, which has served as a driving force for further innovation and the continued development of our production. In order to take part in the tender we have successfully implemented an ambitious investment program on our slab-plates-pipe production chain.”

The combined efforts of specialists from the Russian Steel division’s Technical development and Quality Centre, plate rolling shop No.3 and the Izhora Pipe Mill allowed Severstal to develop the market-leading technologies required to produce DNV450 SFDU grade plates with 39.0 mm wall thickness which required to produce pipes for the project.

Severstal’s investment into its large diameter pipes production at the Izhora Pipe Mill amounted to 1.3 billion rubles. More than ten projects were implemented as part of this investment program, primarily aimed at improving product quality and product mix. Amongst these investment projects are the commissioning of a new finishing press and the installation of an automated system for measuring pipe geometrics.

Plates, pipes, external and internal coatings manufactured at Severstal’s facilities have successfully passed all of South Stream Transport B.V’s necessary testing, confirming Severstal’s ability to meet the project’s complex technical and technological requirements.