Kalyon İnşaat has successfully completed the Danube River crossing—one of the most challenging stages—of the Black Sea Coast-Podișor Natural Gas Pipeline Project, one of Europe’s longest natural gas pipelines.
The Turkish construction giant began work on the project in June 2023 and has now completed the longest of the four river crossings: an impressive 1,815 meters beneath the Danube River, reaching a depth of 63 meters using 151 welded sections of 12-meter pipes.
The Black Sea Coast-Podișor Natural Gas Pipeline project, undertaken by Kalyon İnşaat, is listed as an “EU Project of Common Interest.” With a construction cost of €500 million, the pipeline is crucial to enhancing Romania’s capacity to deliver natural gas extracted from Black Sea reserves to its interior regions—ultimately helping to meet growing energy demands and ensure energy security for both Romania and the European Union.
Murathan Kalyoncu: “We Have Crossed the Danube”
Highlighting the significance of the achievement, Kalyon İnşaat Chairman Murathan Kalyoncu stated:
“The Danube has long stood in my memory as a symbol from the heroic Plevna March. As a proudly local and national company, we aim to craft our own story of heroism, and completing the Danube crossing of this major gas transmission line to Europe is a source of immense pride. The biggest geological challenge in this phase was the unstable ground, which posed a high risk for drilling shaft instability. To address this, we conducted additional geotechnical studies and engineering modifications.”
He also emphasized the strong historical and human ties between Turkey and Romania, explaining that the pipeline route was revised to pass through more stable limestone, reducing the depth to 62.74 meters. This Danube crossing is one of the longest Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) applications ever completed in Europe, marking a significant milestone in trenchless technology.
“The combination of complex terrain, custom-designed solutions, and large-scale equipment mobilization makes this one of Europe’s landmark HDD crossings,” Kalyoncu added.
He concluded:
“From the bidding stage, this project has been a top priority for us. We won the contract by outscoring major European firms under EU procurement rules. Since then, our professional teams have worked meticulously, and we are now completing the final phase of the project.”
Source: Bloomberght/ Prepared by: İlayda Gök