The new tenders are:

AFK pipelines. Bids have been invited by 25 July for the estimated $150 million-200 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. Prospective bidders include R H Al-Marri Establishment (RHM), Faysal M Qahtani Establishment (FMQ)and Tamimi Construction, all local, Lebanon's Contracting & Trading (CAT), Athens-based Joannou & Paraskevaides (J&P - Overseas), Italy's Saipem, the Netherlands' Suedrohrbau, Italy-based Techint, Turkey's Tekfenand US-based Willbros Group.

The project's upstream portion covers the construction of four pipeline sections with a total length of 110 kilometres and the installation of seven scraper launchers and receivers serving the Khursaniyah central processing facilities (KPF) and the Khursaniyah gas plant (KGP).

The downstream portion, the larger part of the contract, covers a 36-inch-diameter, 100-kilometre-long crude line linking KPF with the Juaymah terminal, a 24-inch, 103-kilometre natural gas liquids (NGL) line between KGP and the existing Juaymah gas plant, and one 40-inch, 48-kilometre gas line between KGP and the Berri gas grid junction. The scope of works also includes the installation of scraper launchers and receivers among other works.

Gas plant to Jubail industries ethane line. Bids are due by 7 August for the estimated $30 million-50 million EPC contract, which involves the construction of an ethane pipeline between the Juaymah gas plant and Jubail. Thirteen contractors, including those expected to bid for the AFK lines, are likely to participate in the tender.

The project was initially planned to be tendered along with two other pipeline sections under Aramco's Hawiyah natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery programme but it is understood that each section will now be tendered separately (MEED 1:4:05).

The scope of works covers the construction of a 38-inch, 56-kilometre ethane line looped with two existing pipelines and aimed at transporting 820 million cubic feet a day of gas to Jubail industrial city, which is presently being expanded. Other works include a right-of-way road along the new pipeline, the removal of two existing pipeline sections and all civil works along the line.

Onshore maintenance potential. A job explanation meeting is due to be held on 2 July for the four-year gas pipeline maintenance contract, which is valued at up to $300 million. Bidders have been asked to submit unit rates for the contract, which calls for the maintenance of gas pipelines in 14 areas including Abqaiq, Uthmaniyah, Shedgum, Shaybah and Qatif. The contract award is tentatively scheduled for September.

Several other pipeline projects are also out for tender, including the EPC contract to debottleneck the Shedgum-Yanbu east-west SHY-1 NGL pipeline for which the bid closing date is now 25 July. Other tenders cover the construction of parallel ethane and butane pipelines between the planned integrated Rabigh refinery/petrochemicals plant and the existing Yanbu NGL facility, and the conversion of the existing Abqaiq-Yanbu oil looped line (AY-1L) into a gas pipeline (EWG-1 - MEED 10:6:05; 6:5:05).