NATO: “Regular monitoring of the integrity of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI), including pipelines and communication cables, secures both the transfer of energy supplies and data exchange between nations. TAP is crucial to European Union energy policy, delivering natural gas to Europe from the Shah Deniz II gas field in Azerbaijan”.
Two minehunters from Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) worked closely with the Italian Navy and local authorities to monitor the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) on the seabed of the Adriatic Sea, Trend reports.
“Regular monitoring of the integrity of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI), including pipelines and communication cables, secures both the transfer of energy supplies and data exchange between nations. Approximately one third of natural resources are transported via undersea cables, while virtually all internet connections, including economic and financial transactions, are shared in this way. TAP is crucial to European Union energy policy, delivering natural gas to Europe from the Shah Deniz II gas field in Azerbaijan,” reads a message from MARCOM.
TAP transports natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.
TAP facilitates gas supplies to South Eastern European countries through existing and prospective interconnectors. TAP is connected to Interconnector Greece Bulgaria (IGB) which started its commercial operations in October 2022, providing Caspian gas to Bulgaria, enhancing security of energy supplies in one more European country.
As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe’s energy security, supply diversification, as well as its decarbonisation objectives.