It is reported that Norway based Det Norske Veritas has granted United Metallurgical Company’s Vyksa Steel Works a certificate for compliance of two new lines for applying external corrosion resistant coating to large diameter pipes with the requirements of the DNV standard for application of three layer polyethylene coating to pipes designed for subsea pipelines.
As per report, the certificate was provided on the basis of qualification tests for the trial batch of pipes manufactured in late January 2008 in the presence of representatives of DNV and the customer, Nord Stream AG. The new lines are used for applying coating to pipes that OMK is supplying for the gas pipeline construction. The agreement specifies that 280,000 tonnes of 1,219 mm pipes should be supplied in 2008-2009.
Earlier, DNV certified VSW’s coating facilities based on the application of polypropylene coating. The construction and installation of the two new lines for external corrosion resistant coating was started by VSW in 2006 and completed in late 2007. The lines are designed for applying polyethylene and polypropylene coating to 508mm to 1,420 mm pipes with wall thickness of up to 50 mm including pipes designed for subsea pipelines. The annual capacity of the new lines is 950,000 tonnes of pipes which enabled VSW to increase its total capacity up to 2 million tonnes of pipes a year. The equipment was supplied by Selmers Technology BV the Netherlands.
Vyksa Steel Works has also completed modernization of its line for internal corrosion-resistant and friction reducing coating manufactured by Bauhuis International BV, the Netherlands, as a result of which its annual capacity was increased from 400,000 to 800,000 tonnes of pipes. Total investments in increasing coating capacity reached more than RUB 2 billion.
Det Norske Veritas develops technical standards for the shipping, energy and pipeline transportation industries. Many of its technological solutions have qualified as international industry standards. The certificate for compliance of the LDP subsea pipe production with the DNV standard was issued to OMK in April 2007.
