Italian drilling services firm Saipem has been awarded more than US$1.6bn worth of new contracts and variation orders in E&C offshore, including one for Egypt’s ‘supergiant’ Zohr gas field
The largest deal is related to the field development project, the Italian company said.
“We are very pleased to have been selected for the important objective of delivering first gas from Zohr before the end of 2017,” Saipem CEO Stefano Cao said.
The contracts have been awarded by Petrobel, a joint venture between Eni and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, which is in charge of the Zohr development.
The agreement involves an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the accelerated start-up of the Zohr development.
The scope of work includes installation of a 26-inch gas export trunkline and 14-inch and 8-inch service trunklines, as well as EPCI work for the field development in water depths of up to 1,700 m for six wells, and the installation of the umbilical system.
To meet the challenge of the accelerated development schedule, Saipem will mobilise a fleet of vessels to carry out offshore operations including the ultra-deepwater pipelayer Castorone, the semi-submersible pipelayer Castoro Sei, trenching/pipelay barge Castoro 10, and other specialised vessels, the company statement said.
Besides the contract involving the Zohr gas field, Saipem also announced various changes in the scope of work on existing E&C offshore contracts in other countries.
