Qatar Petroleum (QP) expects the delivery from France’s Technip of two topsides in the second quarter of 2016, at a cost of about $250m, says a source close to the deal.

Technip, which is known for its work in the defence sector, was awarded the contract to complete engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) work on the two platforms in 2013. The firm expects to have them delivered from a shipyard in the Chinese port of Tianjin in late April or early May this year.

These platforms are to be maintained off the coast of Qatar as part of the National Security Shield (NSS), and armed with surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles and early warning radar systems.

Sources close to the deal state that these defences are intended to guard Qatar’s borders against Iran, making it safe for foreign investment and bolster national security ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

According to the NSS website, “the National Security Shield Project was established to provide an integrated system with the aim of achieving a safer platform compatible with economic, industrial and human development, in association with other specialised global companies that competed with international companies specialised in security and military technology”.

“The project component consists of constructing an integrated control and protection network to be operated through high-tech electronic surveillance and reconnaissance stations on Qatar’s sea, coastal and land borders, connected to the headquarters and a multi-level control through a secured communication network,” it continues.

It is a project that has been in the pipeline for a considerable amount of time. “The idea began under the direction of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s father and was headed by his son when he was the emir-in-waiting, more than 10 years ago,” says Theodore Karasik, a senior adviser at Washington-based Gulf States Analytics, speaking to MEED. "The NSS needed the technology to become available from the contractors, but also the slow pace of Qatari decision-making affected progress.

“Now there is a gallant push by Doha to firm up its land- and sea-based border control and monitoring as Qatar moves forward towards the World Cup. Investors in Qatar require a safe and secure environment. It should be noted that the homeland security market in Qatar is set to expand.”

MEED reported in September 2015 that Abu Dhabi’s National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC) was shortly due to complete engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work on eight security and surveillance platforms for QP.

Both NPCC’s and Technip’s 2013 contracts for offshore platforms were awarded through QP, due to the institution’s experience in tendering similar offshore facilities in the oil and gas sector.

Airbus, the French aerospace and defence corporation, was selected in 2014 to work on both the onshore and offshore aspects of the NSS, including the Technip and NPCC platforms. With final handover to QP expected in late 2016, more details will likely become clear in the coming months, say sources familiar with the deal.

QP could not be reached for comment.