Leading Dutch dredging group Royal Boskalis Westminster NV (Boskalis) said its consortium with the UAE-based Lamprell, a major provider of fabrication, engineering and contracting services, has been awarded a key contract by state oil giant Saudi Aramco to support its Long Term Agreement for Offshore Facilities (LTA) programme.

Part of an ambitious offshore investment programme, the LTA covers engineering, procurement, construction, transportation and installation (EPCI) contracts to support Saudi Aramco's offshore maintain potential programme, oil and gas programme and other offshore expansions.

As per the deal, Lamprell will focus on the engineering, procurement and construction of offshore structures, such as topsides and jackets, while Boskalis will be responsible for the transport and installation of these structures, in addition to dredging activities and specialist subsea activities, including survey as well as pipeline and cable installation.

This agreement with Saudi Aramco is an important milestone for Boskalis and supports the strategic vision of selective growth towards becoming a full-scope transport and installation contractor at the high-end of the offshore energy market, said a top official.

"It marks an important milestone for Boskalis. As part of our strategy we have over the last number of years invested in vessels and people to broaden our offshore transport and installation capabilities. The choice for Boskalis as LTA partner supports and confirms our strategic vision," remarked CEO Peter Berdowski.

"We are proud of the confidence shown by Saudi Aramco and look forward to working in partnership. In the coming year, we will focus on tendering and building up our local organization in preparation of the execution of projects for the period thereafter. It is expected that the agreement will generate multiple hundreds of millions of euros revenue for Boskalis," he added.

Within the scope of the Saudi Aramco LTA, investments could exceed $3 billion per annum with a programme duration of six years, with options by the state oil giant to extend for a further 3 plus 3 years, said the statement.

Selected contractors like Boskalis have the right to bid for tenders put out by Saudi Aramco without further technical prequalification, considerably shortening the lead time through to award, it added.-TradeArabia News Service