Saudi Aramco announced on 17 August that it had awarded Abu Dhabi’s National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC) a contract to install 42 electric submersible pumps on seven existing platforms on the offshore Safaniyah oilfield. The contract includes the construction and inclusion of mezzanine decks on the platforms to accommodate service equipment for the pumps. Sub-sea power cables will be installed along with new flanklines and a 42in/50km trunkline from a new tie-in platform to onshore Safaniyah GOSP-1, Saudi Aramco said. The Safaniyah field produces around 1.2mn b/d of Arab Heavy crude and as the largest offshore oilfield in the world, is the source of most of Saudi Arabia’s present spare production capacity (MEES, 23 May). “Discovered in 1951, it is 50km by 15km and has more than 35bn barrels of remaining reserves with a producing capability of more than 1.2mn b/d,” Saudi Aramco said.
McDermott Wins Offshore Contract
McDermott International announced on 18 August that subsidiaries of J Ray McDermott had been awarded a contract by Saudi Aramco to provide fabrication and installation for the Marjan, Zuluf, Safaniyah oilfield facilities. J Ray McDermott, at its Jebel Ali fabrication facility, will begin construction engineering, partial procurement and fabrication of five wellhead jackets totaling over 6,710 tons, five drill decks totaling over 2,200 tons, and three scrapper decks averaging 630 tons each. Additionally, the work scope includes offshore installation of 13 miles of sub-sea pipelines including one 24in and four 16in flow lines in waters 49-170ft deep, tie-in-pools, anode sled assemblies and associated cables; risers and two sub-sea power cables totaling more than 4 miles in length. Installation work is expected to be executed using the company’s DB27 marine vessel.
