The last weld was made on the 44-in diameter southern section of Langeled, as the new pipeline is called). The pipelay vessel Acergy Piper (formerly LB200) laid one pipeline from Sleipner and one from Easington, and the two ends were welded together by divers operating from the diving vessel Toisa Polaris. "Now that Langeled has been connected in one piece from Sleipner to Easington, Norwegian gas supplies to UK can begin when the reception facility in Easington is ready in the autumn," Anne Strømmen Lycke, Hydro's asset manager for the Langeled project, said. "From October, gas export will commence via Sleipner to Easington through the new export pipeline. This provides enormous market opportunities in Europe's largest gas market, not least when the northern part of Langeled is complete and the export of gas from the Ormen Lange field begins in October, 2007," she continued. While the southern end of Langeled was being welded together, the Acergy Piper was pipelaying the 42-in diameter line at the northern end of Langeled, from Nyhamna towards Sleipner. Pipelaying is on schedule, and 140km have been laid so far," according to Hydro's Per Harald Hansen, who is design manager of the Langeled project. "Towards the end of the summer the pipelay vessel Solitaire will lay pipes for the last section into the Sleipner field. In January next year, we can therefore commence a new welding operation, when the northern end of the pipeline is joined to the rest of the pipeline," he said. Hydro is operator for Ormen Lange/Langeled in the development phase, while Statoil is responsible for the project management of the pipe-laying project. The project organization is manned with personnel from both companies.