More than a million tonnes of steel will be used for the 1,200-km line, which will lay claim to a third of the world's total production capacity for this type of pipeline. Over the next two years 100,000 lengths of pipe will be coated with asphalt and concrete at the Bredero Shaw yard in Farsund in southern Norway, requiring over a million tonnes of concrete and 25,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement. The LB200 laybarge has started laying the pipe from the Sleipner area in the North Sea, heading south towards Easington on the east coast of England. The pipe from Sleipner to Easington will be 44 in diameter; the northern leg, between the export terminal at Nyhamna in mid-Norway and Sleipner, will be 42in diameter, and most of this section will be installed next year. Allseas' Solitaire, another of the world's largest pipelaying vessels, will also be involved in the Langeled pipelaying project. The pipeline is designed to carry more than 70 million cum/d of gas, equivalent to more than 20% per cent of UK's gas needs. While Statoil is responsible for project execution on Langeled on behalf of operator Hydro, the project organization is staffed with personnel from both companies.