Saipem, a global leader in the engineering and construction of major projects for the energy and infrastructure sectors, both offshore and onshore, has obtained from RINA, the multinational inspection, certification and engineering consultancy group, two significant certifications for the performance qualification methodology of materials used in the construction of subsea pipelines for the transportation of gaseous hydrogen.

One of the challenges of transporting hydrogen through converted or newly constructed pipelines is the risk of weakening materials. Saipem has developed its own protocol to evaluate the performance of the metallic materials and the relative welds to the passage of the hydrogen, which allows it to ascertain the compatibility of the pipelines in both the planning and operational phases.

RINA, specifically, has released to Saipem the Approval in Principle (AiP) and the Technology Qualification, certifications of primary importance in the development of innovative technologies, which pave the way for further qualification processes and scalable methodology.

The acknowledgements received from RINA add to Saipem’s track record of 65 years of offshore activity for the transportation of hydrocarbons and attest to the company’s ability to plan, realize and to also install pipelines for the transportation of hydrogen.