Vallourec to Supply 16,000 Tonnes of Pipe for Absheron

Vallourec will supply more than 16,000 tonnes of tubular products to TotalEnergies for the Absheron gas field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, the French pipe maker announced on 12 October 2026, according to Oil & Gas Journal. The package covers oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and about 159 km of coated line pipe for onshore and offshore use.

The award is a concrete procurement step for a project whose first gas is targeted for 2029. The reports reviewed by CBJ do not give a contract value or delivery dates.

What is in the package

The OCTG scope uses premium pipes with premium connections, including a latest-generation semi-flush connection and a dope-free solution, which the supplier says improves operational efficiency and reduces environmental impact. The line pipe carries anticorrosion coating. Azernews also reported the contract on 13 October 2026.

The field

Absheron lies about 100 km south-east of Baku in roughly 500 m of water. Its partners are TotalEnergies (operator, 35%), SOCAR (35%) and XRG (30%), the international investment arm of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company group. The full-field development is planned to deliver up to 6 billion cubic metres of gas a year and up to 47,000 barrels a day of condensate, with gas for the domestic market and export to Türkiye through existing infrastructure, Oil & Gas Journal reported.

CBJ has covered the project's expansion earlier: TotalEnergies, SOCAR and XRG and the Absheron expansion. What is new here is the first named equipment supplier for the tubulars, which turns a plan into an order book.

Why it matters

Supply contracts for steel pipe are an early marker of schedule discipline. Wells and flowlines cannot be built without them, and long-lead items can slip. The size of the order, more than 16,000 tonnes, also gives a sense of the scale of drilling and tie-in work ahead, although the reports do not say how many wells it covers.

The announcement came from the supplier, so the contract terms are as Vallourec described them. CBJ did not find a statement on the award from TotalEnergies or SOCAR in the reports reviewed, and the contract value was not disclosed.

What to watch

• Delivery dates for the pipe, which are not public so far, and any further contract awards for drilling and subsea work.
• Whether the 2029 first-gas target holds as procurement and construction proceed.
• The final plateau rate, which depends on the development plan and market demand for Azerbaijani gas in Türkiye and beyond.

Sources: Oil & Gas Journal, 12 October 2026; Azernews, 13 October 2026; SteelOrbis