The Castoro Sei is one of the flagship vessels owned by the Italian oil and gas industry contractor, Saipem, a global leader in building subsea infrastructure. The vessel has been used on numerous construction projects around the world during the last 25 years, noteworthy being the Greenstream natural gas pipeline between Libya and Italy and the GME pipeline connecting Morocco and Spain. The construction method will be by S-lay, which involves welding pipe sections of 12m horizontally and continuously feeding the jointed sections over the barge's stinger in such a way that the pipeline forms an S shape from the barge's exit-point up to the touchdown point on the seafloor. Overall, the construction process in shallow water (up to a depth of 550m) will last roughly four months. A second semi-submersible vessel, the Saipem 7000, will take on the pipelay operations in the deepwater areas (down to 2,160m) during this year's third quarter. The pipeline is due for commissioning next year. The final shipment of linepipe arrived in Almería on 8 February from Japan. The pipes, which were manufactured and coated by Japan's two leading steel producers Mitsui and Sumitomo, were delivered in three shipments: the first arrived in Almeria in October, 2007, and the second in December, 2007. The pipes are coated with three layers of propylene for corrosion resistance, and those for the shallower water are additionally covered with a layer of concrete.