Western Export Route Pipeline Sectional Replacement Project (WERP SRP)NDT Inspection, Quality Control Service
Construction started following the ratification of the intergovernmental agreement between Azerbaijan and Georgia in April 1996 and was completed in November 1998. WREP has been in operation since February 1999. On April 17, 1999, the Supsa terminal was inaugurated. A full re-commissioning program for WREP was undertaken in 2008.
WERP SRP Background
The Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP) transports crude oil from offshore oil fields in the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, from where the crude is further shipped via tankers through the Bosporus to European markets. The pipeline begins at the Sangachal terminal near Baku and travels through Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Supsa terminal on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea. The length of this pipeline is 829 km.
Throughout 2007 WREP was shutdown to permit an extensive repair and replacement work to take place. The program included section replacements in Georgia and Azerbaijan. The work was completed in the first quarter of 2008. During the shutdown, other routes were used to deliver oil to world markets, so ensuring there was no impact on demand or ACG production.
Transporting oil through Georgia and on to world markets
During the first three quarters of the year, the Sangachal terminal exported around 20 million barrels oil through the Western Route Export Pipeline (WREP).
Under developing plans to upgrade sections of WREP Soviet-era pipe replacement is started. The proposed work will involve replacing the older pipe and rerouting the pipeline, which will reduce the risk of geo-hazards such as landslides, erosion, and flooding and will take the pipeline out of the territory of Akhalgori district. This is intended to reduce the majority of safety and access risks to the pipeline operations and maintenance.
Our role in WERP SRP
Inter Gas Service provides quality control services to the project. Our highly qualified specialists, which are trained and certified to international standards, implement diagnostic inspections of welding joints by the non-destructive method and check the quality of the materials in accordance with European standards.
