Steel from Llanwern has been used in a major North Sea pipeline project.

Corus Strip Products UK delivered the high grade strip steels through its sister Tubes business for a 5.25km pipeline for the Apache rig in Forties, Britain's largest North Sea oilfield, some 110 miles north of Aberdeen.

Adam Smith, Corus' commercial director said: "Some one million tonnes of South Wales' strip steel is used in the manufacture of tubes and pipes. This project has been very demanding and required high specification steel to be delivered to a tight deadline."

He said: "We are focused on creating a sustainable steel industry in South Wales and we are continuously improving our process to make high-spec products at a competitive price. But it is always extremely satisfying to see our material being used by the final customer."

CSP UK supplied high-grade steel to Corus Tubes' facility in Hartlepool, where hghi-spec 14 inch diameter thick pipes were manufactured within a timeframe of just eight weeks. The pipe included a three-layer polypropylene coating for protection against corrosion in the marine environment which was added by BSR Pipeline Services, a Corus joint venture, based at the Hartlepool pipe mill. The pipe was then spooled onto the CSO Apache lay vessel in the north of Scotland prior to being laid in the North Sea at depths of around 420ft.