The two-year contract is part of a programme to upgrade existing offshore platforms and increase production volumes from the Ashtart field in the Gulf of Gabes.

The client is Societe de Recherche et d’Exploitation des Petroles en Tunisie (Serept), a 50:50 joint venture of state oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activites Petrolieres (Etap) and Austria’s OMV.

PSN says it will work with Serept to project manage the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for upgrade work on platform topsides, pipelines and distributed control systems.

The project aims to extend the field’s lifespan, increase reserves and reverse a decline in production to 9,000 barrels a day (b/d) from 30,000 b/d in 1987. Following the revamp, production is expected to be at least 12,000 b/d (MEED 1:9:06).

Discovered in the Gulf of Gabes in 1971, Ashtart is the country’s only oil field with proven reserves of more than 100 million barrels.