Switzerland’s ABB has won a $21m electrical system subcontract on the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (Adcop) project aimed at transporting crude from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah on the federation’s east coast.

ABB won the contract from China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (Cpecc), which is carrying out the main engineering, procurement and construction contract for the pipeline.

The 370-kilometre, 48-inch diameter Adcop pipeline scheme will have capacity of up to 1.5 million barrels a day. It also includes a 1 million barrel main oil terminal at Fujairah and three single point mooring buoys for deepwater tanking loading.

The pipeline will provide the first direct outlet for Abu Dhabi crude outside the Gulf, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

Construction on the project began in the first quarter of 2008 and is scheduled to be completed by August 2011.

Australia’s WorleyParsons is the project management consultant on the scheme. Abu Dhabi government-owned International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) is the client.