Caspian Pipeline Consortium completes SPM-1 underwater pipeline diagnostics using Russian-made PIG unit

MOSCOW. Dec 16 (Interfax) - The Caspian Pipeline Consortium completed diagnostics of the tanker loading Single Point Mooring-1 offshore submarine pipeline on December 7, the CPC press service reported.

For the first time, the work was carried out using a Russian-made pipeline integrity gauge or PIG unit, which passed all types of tests at the contractor's production site before being deployed, the CPC said.

The consortium said that unlike PIG units used on trunk oil pipelines, the unit used on the SPM pipeline was self-propelled, and not propelled by the oil flowing through the pipeline.

The PIG unit, with 95% of its components made in Russia, is technically superior to foreign equivalents, it said. It was made by NTC Diaprom LLC.

"In 2025, a number of diagnostic examinations will also be carried out using the new PIG unit in 2025, the CPC said.