The local Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons has emerged as the lowest bidder in the bid evaluation process for a Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) contract to provide well hook-ups at its heavy oil deposits in North Kuwait.

KOC wants to enhance and sustain production of heavy oil in North Kuwait at 60,000 barrels a day (b/d).

The project involves the connection of 402 heavy oil wells in South Ratqa oil fields to the existing headers. The headers are being connected under a separate contract to Infield Satellite Station (ISS) and then to the Central Processing Facility (CPF) for onward shipment of oil to South Tank Farm (STF).

Nine local Kuwaiti firms submitted bids in November for the $360m contract, according to Kuwait’s Central Agency for Project Tenders (CAPT):

• Venesco International General Trading & Contracting Company
• Naser Al-Baddah & Partners General Trading and Contracting Company
• Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons Company (lowest bidder)
• Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting
• Combined Group Contracting
• Mechanical Engineering & Contracting Company
• Arabi Enertech
• Gulf Spic General Trading & Contracting Company
• Al-Dar Engineering & Contracting

The heavy oil producing wells in Ratqa are arranged in geometrical manner. Each geometric arrangement is designated as one pattern. All the heavy oil wells are divided into 35 patterns.

Of those 35, works pertaining to 24 patterns are being executed by UK-based contractor Petrofac under a separate contract.

KOC intends to have the construction works for the remaining 11 patterns (10 patterns comprising a group of 36 wells and one pattern comprising a group of 42 oil wells; total 402 oil wells) executed through this contract.