Blue Stream

Leonid Chugunov, head of the Russian gas and oil giant's Project Management Department, said basic construction and assembly works of the South Stream pipeline are expected to start at the end of the second quarter of 2014, according to the timetable.

South Stream Transport signed a contract with Saipem for the construction of the first line of the South Stream Offshore Pipeline and the micro-tunnels for the 4 pipeline strings.

The contracts for the supply of the pipes have already been signed for the first two lines, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), citing a media statement of the company.

Germany's concern Siemens is to provide the electrical systems and control and measurement apparatus for the offshore section of the South Stream.