This Pipe Recovery Head (PRH) has been designed and manufactured to perform the recovery of pipelines from the bottom of the sea.

It has been specifically developed for the SAIPEM Blue Stream Project, the laying of a gas pipeline across the Black Sea.

The PRH, if necessary following the emergency abandonment of the pipeline, is taken to the bottom of the sea by an ROV and inserted into the pipe end. Its head is forged onto the pipeline inner surface to ensure a firm engagement.

The equipment body is provided with a ball valve that is left open at the insertion because it is used to dump the pipeline water out of it. The dumping pressure is given through customer owned pigs running into the pipline and pumped by a ground station.

Once performed the dumping of the water (the pigs reaches the recovery head and docks to it) the body ball valve is commanded to close.

The pipeline can so be hanged through the recovery head padeye and lifted.

An Insertion Tool is supplied together with the PRH to allow and ease the insertion operation. The PRH is hanged below this equipment and both assemblies are taken to the bottom of the sea by the ROV.

The Insertion Tool is also used to support all the interfacing equipment used by the ROV to command the PRH functions.