Shortlisted contractors are preparing bids for the contract covering the construction of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Jordan’s Aqaba economic zone.

A total of 19 companies or consortiums have been prequalified for the contract by client Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC).

A deadline of 26 April has been set for the submission of bids, and the contract is expected to be awarded within the subsequent month.

The terminal will be constructed 20 kilometres south of Aqaba city next to the existing oil terminal in the Aqaba special economic zone in southern Jordan. ADC is working in conjunction with the Energy & Mineral Resources Ministry on the project. The import terminal will be an offshore floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU).

The scope of the infrastructure works will include the construction of a single-berth jetty to berth the FSRU. LNG will be transferred ship-to-ship using hydraulic arms. Additional marine and onshore facilities will also need to be constructed, including mooring equipment and an onshore pipeline to transport the gas.

The construction of the LNG terminal is of strategic interest to Jordan, as the country has relied heavily on imported gas from Egypt for many years. This supply is often interrupted due to attacks on the pipeline in Sinai. It is expected that importing LNG will be a more secure way of ensuring Jordan can meet its domestic energy needs.

Progress has also been made on the ADC’s New Port Project in Aqaba where a joint venture of Netherlands-headquartered Arcadis and Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah won a contract to provide construction management services and design reviews in mid-March.

Shortlisted prequalified contractors for the LNG tender:

• Archirodon Construction Company (Greece)/Wajih Contracting (local)/ Construction Management Associates (local)
• STFA (Turkey)/United Enterprise Company (local)
• Consolidated Contractors Group (Athens-based)/Consolidated Contractors Company Jordan (local)
• Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Egypt)/Orascom Construction Industries (Egypt)/Al-Fadel Engineering & Contracting Company (local)
• BAM International Abu Dhabi (Netherlands)/MAG Engineering & Contracting Company (local)
• Sinohydro Corporation (China)/United Jordanian Contractors (local)
• Samsung C&T Corporation (South Korea)/ Masader Contracting Company (local)
• Athena Emirates (UAE)/J&P Avax (Greece)/Habash Deir Contracting Company (local)
• Somague Engenharia (Portugal)/Al-Emar Contracting Company (local)
• Simplex Infrastructures (India)/Masar United Contracting Company (local)
• TML Insaat Sanayi Ticaret Ve Turizm (Turkey)/MID Contracting (Local)/ Tecon Engineering (Austria)
• Mitsui & Co (Japan)/Masannat Engineering & Contracting Company (local)
• Vinci Construction Grands Projets (France)/Sener (Spain)/Arab Towers Contracting Company (local)
• Beta Engineering Manufacturing and Erection (Turkey)/ Bektasoglu Construction Industry & Trade (Turkey)/Omar Abu Sa’ad & Sons Company (local)
• Guangdong Power Engineering Corp (China)/China Communication Third Harbour Engineering Company (China)/Arab Business Company (local)
• Butec (Lebanon)/Target Engineering & Construction Company (UAE)/Ahmad Yousef Al-Tarawneh & Partner Company (local)
• PetroJet (Egypt)/Moh’d and Aref al-Kouz Contracting Company (local)
• Al-Habtoor Leighton (UAE)/El-Concorde (local) /Al-Nukhbah Engineering for Gas and Fuel (local)
• China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (China)/Hussein Atieh & Sons Company (local)

The port project aims to turn Aqaba into a regional maritime hub and once completed it will include a general cargo and roll-on/roll-off terminal, as well as grain and ferry terminals.

The port is planned to be operational in 2014.