Saudi Aramco received in late June prequalification applications for two contracts on its estimated $9,000 million Manifa offshore oil field redevelopment. The contracts cover the causeway construction and the onshore project management consultancy (PMC).

Nine international contractors with their local partners are understood to have submitted applications for the estimated $1,000 million-1,200 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build the causeway to provide access to offshore drilling rigs (MEED 2:6:06).

They are: Geneva-registered Archirodon Construction (Overseas), Van Oord Gulf and Royal Boskalis Westminster, both of the Netherlands, Dredging International and Jan de Nul, both of Belgium, the local Huta Sete, the US' Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company and China Harbour Engineering Company.

The tender is expected to be issued on 25 July with a bid closing date of 30 October. Prequalified firms have also been asked to nominate consulting firms to assist in the project's execution.

The scope of works covers construction of a 41-kilometre causeway, including 20 kilometres of laterals from onshore Manifa to the last production and drilling platform, as well as bridges, culverts and dredging work.

Prequalifications have also been received for the PMC and front-end engineering and design (FEED) services contract on the onshore element of the field development, which comprises gas processing unit and gas-oil separation plants (GOSPs), crude stabilisation units and separators. Applicants are understood to include Fluor Corporation, Foster Wheeler, Jacobs Engineering all of the US, and Australia's WorleyParsons (MEED 9:6:06).

Under the proposed bidding schedule, invitation to bid (ITB) documents are expected to be issued on 25 July, with a deadline of the end of August. An award is expected by the end of November.

The Manifa programme the largest offshore oil field development ever undertaken by Aramco is planned to be completed by 2011 (MEED 19:5:06).