Kuwait’s Central Tenders Committee has extended to 30 May the tender closing date for the estimated $85m deal to build a series of high pressure crude oil pipelines in the southeast of the country.

Bids for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) deal were originally due to be submitted on 16 May, but the client, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) decided to push back the deadline. KOC did not disclose the reason for the delay.

The winning firm will build a series of six-inch carbon-steel crude oil pipelines in southeast Kuwait by the end of 2013. The pipelines will run from KOC’s oil field wellheads to their associated manifolds and gathering centres as part of KOC’s plans to ensure production targets in the southeast region are met.

Firms prequalified to submit bids are:

• Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)
• Hot Engineering & Construction (Kuwait)
• Al-Khadda General Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)
• Al-Meer Technical Services (Kuwait)
• Combined Group Company (Kuwait)
• Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based)
• Gulf Spic General Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)
• Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company (Kuwait)
• Kharafi National (Kuwait)
• Mushrif Trading & Contracting Company (Kuwait)
• Mohammed Abdulmohsin al-Kharafi & Sons (Kuwait)

Recent pipeline deals in the country have suffered numerous delays. Submissions for a $100m deal to build similar pipelines in the north of the country were pushed back almost a month to 1 June, from 2 May. In April, the CTC pushed back the closing date for submissions on a major $2bn deal to build oil and gas pipelines across the country (MEED 25:4:10).