Tata Steel’s Hartlepool facility is to supply more than 55km of pipe, weighing more than 9,000 tonnes, to Subsea 7 in a series of contracts worth £10 million.

The undersea pipes, which will be used for North Sea projects, will then be welded and coated at the company’s offshore processing centre — also in Hartlepool.

Richard Broughton, Tata Steel’s commercial manager of exploration and production, energy and power, said: “Our work with Subsea 7 over the years has been extensive, particularly in the North Sea oil and gas industry, which has become an increasingly important market for us.

"We have the ability to provide the carrier and sleeve pipe and to carry out the coating work in-house, demonstrating the customer-focused approach that Tata Steel takes.

“Subsea 7 is an important supply chain partner, and our relationship with the company continues to grow.”