According to report of press-service of BP-Azerbaijan company the U.S. company McDermott has started to lay an underwater gas pipeline as part of the Azeri- Chirag-Gunashli project. As they said that 50 km of the 28-inch pipeline from the Azeri rig to the Sangachaly terminal has already been laid.

The company also said that at the same time work has begun to lay an 11-km oil pipeline, 18 inches in diameter, between the rig and the Chirag and Azeri fields.

A 30-inch oil pipeline from the rig to the terminal has already been completed.

The company plans to complete all work to lay the pipelines by April 2004, after which divers will connect the tubes.

The project involves laying two 30-inch oil pipeline with a capacity of 500,000 barrels per day and one 28-inch gas pipeline. Each of the pipelines will be about 190 km long.

Participants in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli project currently include British Petroleum - 34.1367%, the U.S. companies Unocal - 10.2814%, ExxonMobil - 8.0006%, Devon Energy - 5.6262%, and Amerada Hess - 1.0413%, Japan's INPEX Corp - 10% and ITOCHU Oil - 3.9205%, Norway's Statoil - 8.5633%, Turkey's TRAO - 6.75%, and Saudi Delta Oil - 1.68%.