courtesy Matra

Members of Russian oil company Transneft’s board have said the first stage of its Siberia-Pacific pipeline is about 30 percent behind schedule due to a shortage of qualified experts, workers and sub-contractors.

To compound matters, officials have yet to scrutinize plans to build a Pacific Ocean oil terminal that could take two years to build.

A skills shortfall has resulted in just 40 percent of the pipeline route being finished after route preparation, welding and backfilling were found wanting, among other mishaps.

The 2,694-kilometre first leg is scheduled to cross 530 waterways but is mired in river estuaries, bogs and sinking permafrost. Meanwhile, pumping stations, power plants and communications are not yet in place.

The pipeline is being built by Systema SpecStroy, Krasnodarstroytransgaz, Vostok Stroy, Promstroy, Amerco Int. and I P Set Spb, in all some seven thousand workers.

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