Archirodon signs up for Qatofin marine works

06 January 2006
Geneva-registered Archirodon Construction (Overseas) on 18 December signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to carry out the marine works package on the $450 million linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) project planned by the local/French Qatofin at Mesaieed. Qatofin also signed on the same day the estimated $250 million plant contract with Italy's Snamprogetti, which received a letter of intent for the work in October (MEED 28:10:05).

The marine works contract is valued at about $60 million. Archirodon beat off competition from two other international contractors to take the 30-month contract, which involves the construction of a 150-metre quay wall, a new pumping station and a seawater intake and outfall system.

One other major contract is to be awarded on the Qatofin project at Mesaieed. Bids are under evaluation for the product handling contract, which is expected to be let by the end of January.

The project centres on the construction of a 450,000-tonne-a-year (t/y) LLDPE plant, which will use the Unipol PE process from the US' Univation Technologies. The unit, along with the Qatar Chemical Company II (Q-Chem II) downstream facility, also at Mesaieed, will be supplied with ethylene feedstock from the Ras Laffan ethane cracker through a 16-inch-diameter, 128-kilometre-long pipeline. Contractors submitted prequalifications in late November for the EPC contract, which will be awarded on a lump-sum basis.

Qatofin is a joint venture of Qatar Petroleum and France's Total Petrochemicals.

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