FIRST 100 KM OF TRANSSAKHALIN OIL PIPELINE WELDED

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, AUGUST 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian company Starstroi has welded the first 100 kilometers of the trans-Sakhalin pipeline under the shelf project Sakhalin-2. The 800-kilometer pipeline will run longitudinally across the island, RIA Novosti quotes the company's press service as saying on Thursday.

Starstroi is the general contractor for building the pipeline.

Only the pipeline thread is being laid, the Sakhalin administration told RIA Novosti.

The regional governor has placed the chief supervisory action for building the pipeline and a natural gas liquefaction plant on his deputy Sergei Belozerskikh.

Sakhalin-2 is Russia's first project within the product-sharing agreement. The oil and gas fields, lying on the Sakhalin shelf 15 kilometers off the northwestern coast, contain a total of 18 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (Sakhalin Energy) is the operator for the Sakhalin-2 project.

Its shareholders are Shell Sakhalin Holdings B.W. - 55 percent (Britain/Holland), Mitsui Sakhalin Holdings B.W. - 25 percent (Japan), Mitsubishi's subsidiary Diamond Gas Sakhalin B.W. - 20 percent (Japan).