The proposed pipeline, of about 20 kilometres in length, will be used to transport natural gas from the onshore Khubai field to processing facilities at Margham.

The client is Margham Dubai Establishment (MDE), which is planning a major development of three existing gas fields in the emirate (MEED 26:10:01).

A contract has been awarded to the US' Western Geophysical to carry out a 3-D seismic survey over a large onshore area in the emirate of Dubai. 'The survey will be completed by October. It will cover Khubai, Margham and southwest Margham,' says a project source.

'A well was first drilled at Khubai in 1984 by Arco[now part of the UK's BP]. We plan to drill a new well and take a fresh look,' the source says.

Work is progressing on schedule for the Margham field development project. In late January, MDE awarded an estimated $45 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to the US' Solar Turbines International Company for the installation of new facilities to maintain production, and increase supplies of natural gas to Jebel Ali (MEED 8:2:02; 4:1:02).