MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. 884 km of two lines or 48% of the offshore segment of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline have already been laid, the project operator said on Monday.

The Pioneering Spirit vessel performing the offshore laying for the first line of the Turkish Stream passed the 600-km checkpoint in the Black Sea on February 19. The completed segment is within the laying corridor agreed earlier for the South Stream project.

The Pioneering Spirit continues pipe laying along the new route developed particularly for the Turkish Stream in direction of Kiyikoy, Turkey.

"884 km were laid in total for two lines, which is about 48% of the gas pipeline’s offshore segment," the operator said.

The Turkish Stream project envisages the construction of a gas pipeline across the Black Sea to Turkey’s European part and further on to the border with Greece. The seabed section is to be 910 kilometers long and the land section will run 180 km into Turkey. On May 7, Gazprom kicked off the construction of a seabed section of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline from the Russian Black Sea coast.

The first line is meant for gas supplies to the Turkish market. The second one will be used to supply gas to Southern and Southeastern Europe. Each line will have a capacity of 15.75 bln cubic meters of gas a year.