The Pioneering Spirit vessel, which will carry out construction of the offshore section of the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline, transited Istanbul’s Bosphorus on May 31, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The Transport, Maritime and Communications Ministry suspended international two-way marine traffic on the Bosphorus due to the crossing of the 382-meter-long and 124-meter-wide vessel, which is expected to arrive in Anapa on the northern Black Sea coast in Russia on June 2.

Meanwhile, ferry lines that were also suspended started their service as naval traffic was opened after its passage.

Officials from Allseas – the vessel’s Swiss owner – told Anadolu Agency on May 30 that the vessel’s final destination would be Anapa, where the first pipe-laying for the Turkish Stream project will start.

It arrived at the Çanakkale Strait early on May 30, according to the vessel’s Swiss owner, Allseas.

Shipping data revealed that a Maltese-flagged ship departed from the Netherlands on May 13.

The pipes for the pipeline will start from Anapa and will be laid over a 900-kilometer route under the Black Sea to reach the Thrace region of Turkey along the Black Sea coast.

The pipeline is a transit-free export gas pipeline which will not only stretch across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey but will further extend to Turkey’s border with neighboring countries.

One line is expected to supply the Turkish market, while a second line will carry gas to southern and southeastern Europe. Each line will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas per year.