Foster Wheeler won the onshore project management consultancy and front-end engineering and design services contract on Manifa in 2006.

Natco says it will supply dehydration and desalting technology including the design and fabrication of six trains for the field. Each train will consist of one dehydrator and two desalters, totalling 18 vessels.

The vessels will be fabricated in Saudi Arabia at Natco’s Jubail fabrication facility, a joint venture with the local Al-Rushaid Petroleum Investment, which will open by February 2009.

Three international contractors have emerged as frontrunners to win more than $3bn worth of engineering, procurement and construction contracts on Manifa (MEED 25:4:08).

The firms understood to have submitted the lowest bids for the three main packages are Italy's Snamprogetti, Japan's JGC Corporation and Spain's TR, following commercial evaluation by Aramco.