Castoro Sei

The Castoro Sei in the Baltic Sea, south-east of Gotland on contract to Nord Stream, March 2011
History
Name:	Castoro Sei
Owner:	Saipem[1]
Operator:	Saipem
Port of registry:	Nassau,  Bahamas
Builder:	Fincantieri, Italy
Yard number:	4334
Laid down:	20 May 1975
Completed:	1978
Identification:	Callsign C6DF4 IMO number: 8758603 MMSI number: 308162000
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Tonnage:	31,506 GT
Length:	152 m (499 ft)[1]
Beam:	70.5 m (231 ft)[1]
Draught:	15.5 m (51 ft)[1]
Depth:	29.8 m (98 ft)
Speed:	5.8 knots (10.7 km/h; 6.7 mph)[2]
Crew:	330[1]

The Castoro Sei (Italian for Beaver Six) is a column stabilized semi-submersible pipelay vessel. She has an overall length of 152 metres (499 ft), a width of 70.5 metres (231 ft) and an operating draught of 7.8 to 15.5 metres (26 to 51 ft). The Castoro Sei is equipped with 2 rotating gantry cranes 134 tonnes capacity and three 130 tonne pipe tensioners for pipelaying. She provides accommodation for 354 persons.^[1]

She was built in 1978 by Fincantieri, and owned and operated by Saipem. Her port of registry is Nassau, Bahamas.

The Castoro Sei has been used for laying a number of pipelines in the Black Sea, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea, including Blue Stream, Greenstream, Medgaz, Trans-Mediterranean, Europipe II, and BBL pipelines.^[3][4][5][6] The vessel is also deployed for laying the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea.^[7]

References

1. "Castoro Sei". Saipem. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
2. "Castoro Sei". Marine Tracker. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
3. "Libyan Gas Transmission System" (PDF). Royal Boskalis Westminster. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
4. "Update on MEDGAZ offshore pipeline construction works". Steel Guru. 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
5. "Europipe II fully laid" (Press release). Statoil. 1999-06-04. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
6. "BBL Company Offshore" (Press release). BBL Company. 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
7. Alla Petrova (2010-03-26). "First Nord Stream pipelay vessel enters Baltic Sea". The Baltic Course. Retrieved 2010-03-28.