The US’ Schlumberger has won two oil and gas consultancy deals in Kuwait, worth a total of KD80m ($279m).

The deals, each worth KD40m, cover well-testing and slickline services. Both were awarded by state oil and gas producer Kuwait Oil Company on 8 September 2009, but were not revealed until now.

Under the first deal, Schlumberger will provide equipment and management services to test an undisclosed number of oil wells over a four-year period. Both Schlumberger and KOC declined to comment on the location of the wells.

Under the second deal, the US engineering and consultancy firm will provide and operate a series of slicklines. These are long metal wires used for the maintenance and monitoring of oil pipelines.

The deals are part of a series of contracts awarded by KOC in 2009 to help maintain and analyse its existing oil and gas production facilities and develop new fields.

In November, sources close to KOC said the company was planning to increasingly use engineering and consultancy firms to develop new oil-producing facilities, rather than international oil companies (IOCs), because of political pressure from parliament for the state to retain fuller control of its oil and gas assets (MEED 24:11:09).