Romania's Neptun Deep offshore platform installed in Black Sea

OMV Petrom and Romgaz have completed the installation of the Neptun Alpha offshore production platform for the Neptun Deep gas project in the Black Sea. The platform, weighing more than 16,500 tonnes and standing over 225 metres tall, was lowered to a water depth of roughly 120 metres using the Saipem 7000 semi‑submersible crane vessel. Its jacket was fabricated in Italy and the topsides in Indonesia. Six of the ten planned production wells and a 160‑km export pipeline to the Romanian shore have already been finished. The project, valued at about €4 billion, is scheduled to start commercial gas production in 2027. Company executives highlighted the strategic importance for Romania’s energy security, noting the development will reduce dependence on gas imports and could make the country a leading natural‑gas supplier within the European Union. The unmanned platform will be operated remotely, with a dedicated support vessel being built to accommodate up to 90 crew members for maintenance and intervention campaigns.