U.S. oilfield services provider McDermott has been awarded a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contract by North Oil Company (NOC) for the Ruya development, previously referred to as Al-Shaheen Phase 3-Batch 1, located offshore Qatar.

This award is one of the largest FEED projects undertaken in McDermott’s history and follows the successful completion of the pre-FEED contract, the company said on Thursday.

“This is a strategic contract for our offshore business in Qatar and a game-changer for McDermott as it represents the largest offshore FEED we have ever received in the Middle East,” said Tareq Kawash, McDermott’s Senior Vice President, Offshore Middle East.

“As was the case for the Pre-FEED with NOC, work will be led from our highly skilled Doha operating centre and will be supported by our Chennai engineering office.”

As detailed by McDermott, the scope of the contract comprises developing FEED studies and deliverables suitable for an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) project. This includes creating technical output data (FEED data), providing EPCIC schedule and cost estimates, and developing an early work plan for the brownfield scope with necessary site surveys. The scope also ensures that new greenfield facilities design and brownfield modifications comply with applicable rules and regulations.

“The award strengthens our successful collaboration with NOC and demonstrates the continuity of our business relationship with them,” said Neil Gunnion, McDermott Qatar Country Manager and Vice President Operations.

“Utilising our comprehensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the offshore sector in Qatar, we look forward to continuing to work closely with NOC to contribute to the development of Shaheen, which is Qatar’s largest offshore oil field.”

The Ruya Project will be managed from the McDermott Doha office with support from Chennai.

Al-Shaheen oil field is located in Qatari waters 80 kilometres north of Ras Laffan with facilities consisting of 33 platforms and more than 300+ wells. Al-Shaheen is Qatar’s largest offshore oil field and one of the largest offshore oil fields in the world.​ The field is operated by NOC, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies.

A little less than a year ago, South Korea’s DSME was awarded a contract to deliver an offshore crude oil production platform, which is meant to increase crude oil production in the Al-Shaheen field. The construction is expected to be completed by the second half of 2023.

In addition, NOC in August 2021 awarded contracts to Petrovietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) and to Italy’s Rosetti Marino for the third phase of the Gallaf project, which belongs to the Al-Shaheen field, aiming to develop it further.