State-owned oil company Qatar Petroleum has awarded US engineering contractor McDermott International an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for four wellhead jackets.

A wellhead jacket is the steel frame that supports the deck and topsides of an offshore oil platform.

Two of the jackets will be installed in the Bul-Hanine field, which is located east of Doha. These have been scheduled for completion in December 2016. The remaining two scheduled for completion in July 2017.

The contract award was announced by McDermott on 8 October. McDermott did not give details on how much the EPCI contract is worth.

The Bul Hanine redevelopment project is expected to see 10 existing wellhead platforms upgraded and 14 new platforms constructed.

It is hoped that the project will double the field’s current production rate from 40,000 to 95,000 barrels a day and extend the life of the field by over 25 years. 

The offshore portion of the Bul Hanine redevelopment project is expected to be worth $3.5bn.