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Introduction
SAIPEM, born in 1940 as SAIP and then
transformed into SAIPEM in 1957, is a leading company in the worldwide
market of services for the oil industry, including onshore and offshore
pipeline lay-down, realization of industrial plants on land and offshore
installation, and onshore and offshore drilling activity.
The Company, which is part of the ENI group, owns a naval fleet with a
very high technological level and a large production capacity. Among
these, we can cite SAIPEM 7000, a ship (vessel) equipped with two cranes,
each one capable of raising up to 7,000 tons; Castoro Sei, a semisub for
pipeline lay-down; Scarabeo 5, a semisub for drilling up to 9,000 meters
depth, in water depth of 2,000 meters and with temperatures down to 20°
below zero.
The story of SAIPEM is a synthesis of the expansion of the worldwide oil
industry technology, which has provided newer and newer instruments to
ensure safer energy sources at convenient prices.
During its 40 years of activity, SAIPEM has realized:
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60,000 km of onshore pipelines and
6,000 km offshore;
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4,000 onshore and 1,000 offshore
wells;
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structures, plants and marine
terminals for 200,000 tons of steel;
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over 100 refineries and petrochemicals
plants;
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big civil infrastructures projects.
We deem it interesting to go through the
salient phases of this expansion, as they represent as many milestones in
the history of the Italian and worldwide oil industry.
1940: Although it was born with this name in 1957, SAIPEM has its
origin in 1940, when SAIP was incorporated (Società Anonima Imprese
Perforazioni) chaired by Mr. Alfredo Giarratana, one of the Italian
pioneers in oil exploration, who was chairman of AGIP from 1929 to 1932.
During 1940 SAIPEM operated mainly as a drilling company, but also had two
seismic groups. In 1943 the share majority passed to Ente Nazionale Metano.
In 1949 SAIP started to work for AGIP.
1953: Ente Nazionale Gas was dismissed and ENI was set up which
took over the entire share stock of SAIP.
1955: SAIP started drilling abroad: in France with Intersomer and
in Somalia with AGIP. Two SAIP seismic groups operated for several years
in Spain.
31 December 1957: SAIPEM (Società Azionaria Italiana Perforazione e
Montaggi) was founded by merging SAIP and SNAM Montaggi (Construction
Division of SNAM). Enrico Mattei was the chairman, Carlo Zanmatti and
Raffaele Girotti were vicepresidents (deputy chairmen). At that time, the
use of methane was expanding in Italy, with the pushing of Mr. Mattei, who
intuited twenty years before the great importance of this energy source.
During the first two years, SAIPEM laid down 740 km oil and gas pipeline:
it was the beginning of the large Italian pipeline network.
1958: the first refinery was built abroad, in Jordan.
1959: SAIPEM Scarabeo 1 drilled for AGIP the well Gela Mare 21, the
first offshore well in Europe. The well was 1,5 km from the coast, in 20
meters of water. The platform, then, after some transformation work in
Taranto, was re-named Santa Rita. Since 1964, it has been used in Kenya,
supporting the San Marco platform, which is used for the launching of
satellites for civil use. Also in 1959 the first wells in Argentina
(Patagonia) and Iran (on Zagros) were drilled, and the pipeline was built
in Iran.
1960: the jack up Gatto Selvatico was completed, as a twin of Perro
Negro, at that time in an advanced phase of construction.
May, 1961: in Licata, a wellhead platform was launched for the offshore
field of Gela, to be laid in 5 meters of water for drilling 5 development
wells.
31 July, 1962: SAIPEM was incorporated in to SNAM, becoming its
operating branch, beside Divisione Progetti and Divisione Laboratori
Riuniti, Studi e Ricerche.
10 December 1965: AGIP and SNAM set up SNAMPROGETTI, with the
specific activity of plant design and commissioning. The SAIPEM branch
looks after all the operating issues, along with Divisione Progetti. From
now on, it starts a big development of turn-key realizations, such as
refineries, pipelines, etc.
1966: AGIP passes its operative drilling facilities to SAIPEM, with
the majority of plants and personnel. In the same year offshore activities
in the Persian Gulf develop with Gatto Selvatico platform on Bargain Sar,
Now Ruz and Rostam (Lavan) fields.
1 September, 1969: SAIPEM S.p.A. was born, which entered the ENI
Group as Sector Leader, capable of offering services to the energy
industry, onshore and offshore, both drilling and montages, dedicating
resources to technological development.
1970: The activity in the montage area began in Iran in 1970 with
the construction of the oil terminal in Bargain Sar, in the north part of
the Gulf.
1972: Laydown of a 32" pipeline at 320 meters depthin the gulf of
Gaeta, near Naples.
1974: the pipeline lay-down ship Castoro 6 was constructed, the
most technologically advanced vessel for sea line lay-down in deep water.
Also in 1974 a 10" pipeline was laid in the Messina channel, at 360 meters
depth.
1975: acquired the contract for constructing of the oil pipeline
Marun-Esfahan, in Iran, across the Zagros mountains. In the same year is
the lay-down of the heaviest sea line (48", 1082 kg/m in water) near Abu
Dhabi.
1976: reached the highest depth for repairing a sea line in the
Sicily channel at 560 meters depth.
1977: reached the highest depth for laying a sea line in the Sicily
channel at 608 meters depth.
1980: the Algeria-Italy gas pipeline is built, across the
Mediterranean (Transmed). It is the first intercontinental system of gas
pipelines connecting Africa to Europe. In the sea part it is composed of
three 20" pipeline, to which will be added two 26" pipeline in 1994. This
challenge, at 608/611 maximum depth, represents a record for a pipeline of
such dimensions.
1985: SAIPEM is quoted at the stock markets of Milan and Paris.
1990: the semi-sub Scarabeo 5 is completed at the Fincantieri
shipyards of Genova Sestri, to operate in the sub-arctic climate. It has
drilled in the North Sea, practically in correspondence of the 62°
parallel.
1995: the semi-sub SAIPEM 7000, ex Micoperi, is definitively
acquired. It is the most advanced vessel in the field of offshore
weightlifting.
1996: SAIPEM’s drilling and work-over activity is realized with 35
onshore and 12 offshore rigs, operating in different countries in
throughout the world. Several are client-owned rigs managed by SAIPEM.
Among the latest most qualifying montage done, are the crossing of the
Gibraltar channel, in the framework of the realization of the
Morocco-Spain pipeline; the expansion of the Italian gas pipeline network
, which has reached 27,000 km; participation in the project to bring gas
from the fields in the south of China to Honk Kong; the use of SAIPEM 7000
in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea in the Troll, Froy and Europipe
projects.
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