INGENUITY

“Ingenuity” is Saipem’s first podcast.

A four-episode journey to discover the technologies and engineering solutions of a company that is moving towards a major goal: shaping a sustainable future.

What drives the creation of plant facilities that produce energy, robots that move underwater or infrastructures serving new ideas in mobility?

The connecting thread is ingenuity.

This is the power that fuels Saipem, a company of Italian excellence that, since its foundation in the 1950s, has been recognized throughout the world for the engineering and construction of major projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Ingenuity is also the fuel that drives Saipem professionals, an energy that Primo Levi captured in writing about his experience in 1980 aboard Castoro Six, Saipem’s pipe-laying vessel.

Ingenuity and pride

Episode 1

“Men of multifaceted ingenuity”: this is how Primo Levi describes the crew of Castoro 6, Saipem’s semi-submersible vessel that built the Transmed gas pipeline in the 1980s. This same ingenuity also made other major projects in the gas sector possible, such as Blue Stream, a strategic infrastructure that reaches record depths, and Nord Stream, at the time the longest gas line in the world. But ingenuity knows no limits: liquified natural gas is the new frontier, and the Tangguh and Scarborough gas plants are the most relevant examples.

Guests in this episode: Pietro Costanzo, first commander of Saipem’s Castoro 6; Alessandro Blasi, Special Advisor IEA (International Energy Agency); Alessandro Lombardi, Engineering Project Manager at Saipem.
 

Creativity and technology

Episode 2

When ingenuity and creativity meet, connections are activated in our brain that lead to surprising results. For example, Castoro 12, the Saipem ship designed “in two halves” to cross very narrow channels to reach the Kashagan field, or the patented solutions for fertilizer production, essential for global food security. Creativity is also instrumental in the development of innovative solutions in underwater robotics, such as the latest-generation Hydrone technology, a protagonist in the Njord field, now used for facility inspection and maintenance.

Guests in this episode: Giulio Credali, Asset SURF Fleet Manager at Saipem; Nicola De Pisapia, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Trento.
 

Everything evolves and transforms

Episode 3

The profession of engineering involves continuous, non-stop evolution. This spirit has guided the spectacular transformations of sea vessels such as Scarabeo 9 and Saipem 7000, but also the transition to wind power, an energy known since ancient times. The Hywind project marks its debut in this sector with today's challenges concerning fixed foundations such as in the Neart Na Gaoithe (NNG) offshore wind farm. The future, however, is floating wind power, made possible thanks to STAR 1 innovative technologies. But evolution for Saipem does not stop at energy: it also engages in circularity, with the decommissioning of disused platforms, and the development of infrastructures for sustainable mobility.

Guests in this episode: Flavia Frisone, Professor of Greek History, University of Salento; Francesco Di Pietro, commander of Saipem's S7000.
 

Looking to the future

Episode 4

In a constantly changing world, how do you prepare for the challenges of the future? By encouraging people's talent, protecting the environment and creating value for communities. The experiences of expats help us understand what it means to work in multicultural contexts and the importance of developing specific skills for such future-oriented professions. To ensure a sustainable tomorrow, it is essential to promote safety culture in the broad sense and protect the planet with cutting-edge solutions, such as Bluenzyme to capture CO2 and OIE, a system, unique in the world, which permits emergency intervention during an underwater well spill when direct vertical access is not possible. Saipem's vision and commitment are achieved not only in Italy but also in the rest of the world with initiatives that support the development of local territories and communities, as demonstrated by the example in Angola.

Guests in this episode: Elisa Carletti, Manager Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Department at Saipem; Chiara Scandella, Saipem’s  Country Manager Angola.