Holland's South Stream Transport has signed an option agreement with the Bulgarian ports of Varna and Burgas for the storage and handling of pipe segments in Black Sea coastal 'marshalling yards prior to commencement of the huge project. The South Stream Offshore Pipeline will consist of four parallel pipelines through the Black Sea, each made up of over 75,000 pipe segments. The pipes will be stored in so-called marshalling yards at harbours on the shore in Bulgaria, and shipped to specialized pipe-laying vessels when construction starts in 2014.