Leighton Offshore was awarded an EPC contract with Iraqs South Oil Company to install three single point moorings (SPMs) and 120 kilometres of 48-inch pipelines in the Arabian Gulf, offshore Iraq.

2011 will hopefully bring greater activity to oil engineering firms across the Middle East who will be looking for a pickup in oil and gas contract awards after 2010 proved to be a very quiet year.

Saudis state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco signed a contract with state-run Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp (JOGMEC) that would allow the Saudi company to store crude oil in Japan from February 2011 onwards.

Iraq and Jordan have agreed in principle on building a pipeline between both countries to supply Amman with crude oil for the coming decades, officials announced after a visit to Iraq by Jordans prime minister, Samir Rifai.

Wintershall, Germanys largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, part of the BASF Group, earlier this year opened a new branch in Abu Dhabi.