4,058-Metre HDD World Record

Engineers India Limited (EIL) has claimed a new world record after completing the world’s longest Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) crossing for a 26-inch pipeline. According to media reports, a 4,058-metre HDD crossing beneath the Brahmaputra River was completed as part of the Paradip–Numaligarh Crude Oil Pipeline (PNCPL) project, surpassing EIL’s previous 4,027-metre record set on the Ganga River crossing within the same project.

According to PSU Watch, the milestone was reached after the successful completion of the pipeline pullback — technically one of the most demanding phases of HDD construction — and is regarded as a global benchmark for large-diameter trenchless installations in difficult ground and river conditions.

About the PNCPL Project

PNCPL is a strategic crude oil pipeline of 1,635 km being developed for Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL). When complete, it will carry imported crude from Paradip Port in Odisha to Numaligarh in Assam, passing through Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and several north-eastern states to form a critical energy corridor for the country.

Crossing	Distance
Ganga River (previous record)	4,027 metres
Brahmaputra River (new world record)	4,058 metres

Expected Contributions of the Project

Once the pipeline is in operation it is expected to:

• strengthen India’s energy security
• support NRL’s refinery expansion plans
• promote economic growth in the eastern and north-eastern regions through improved infrastructure and job creation

EIL told PSU Watch that the completion of the Brahmaputra River crossing is an important step towards the timely delivery of this project of national importance.

What the record means technically

A horizontal directional drilling crossing of more than 4 kilometres shows where the limits of the method lie. At this length the pull force, the friction on the outside of the pipe and the circulation of the drilling fluid become decisive; the pullback of a 26-inch steel pipeline has to be completed in a single, uninterrupted operation. On crossings like this, magnetic guidance systems are used for locating, and very often the intersect technique, in which two rigs meet underground.

In Türkiye, river, strait and motorway crossings usually range from a few hundred metres to 1–2 km; but rig capacity, the drill rod set, reaming stages and mud management are planned on the same principles. At Deltek we carry out this planning together with the client on long-distance HDD crossings with our Istanbul and Izmir crews; for your project, see the HDD rig selection page or contact us.