The first shipment of 100km of pipes needed for the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) have arrived at the port of Dar es Salaam, signalling the initiation of the main construction phase for this cross-border project.
An event to welcome the pipes was held on Monday, December 11, 2023, between EACOP’s shareholders at the storage yard operated by EACOP’s Tanzania Logistics partner, SuperDoll.
EACOP will transport crude oil from the Lake Albert region of Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga in Tanzania, where it can access world markets. The project represents a major inward investment in Uganda and Tanzania.
According to EACOP managers, they are focused on ensuring that the project activities adhere to the most stringent social, environmental and safety standards.
“The onward transportation of pipes to their point of use will be conducted using new, high specification, trucks and trailers. The project has also invested in extensive driver training, focusing on defensive driving practices, route planning, and compliance with road regulations,” EACOP said in a statement.
They said the best available technology has been incorporated for line pipe lifting operations. Vacuum lifting and ‘robrigging’ are employed to ensure that personnel are kept out of the ‘line of fire’ during lifting operations.
“As the on the ground construction of this 1443 km pipeline progresses, EACOP remains committed to delivering this project with the utmost responsibility, contributing to the sustainable growth and prosperity of East Africa,” they added.
EACOP is a development project for a 1,443-kilometre heated, insulated, and buried crude oil export pipeline starting at Kabaale, Hoima District, in Uganda and terminating at a Marine Storage Terminal and Load Out Facility at Chongoleani, Tanga District in Tanzania, linking the Albertine Graben in Uganda to the international oil market. The pipeline is designed to transport 216,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with a ramp up of up to two hundred forty-six thousand (246,000) barrels of crude oil per day.
The EACOP project is being developed, and will be operated by EACOP Ltd, a company composed of TotalEnergies SE, UNOC, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC).
