Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has awarded the project management consultancy contract for its crude flexibility project at the Ruwais refinery to Australian engineering company WorleyParsons.

Under the terms of the contract, WorleyParsons will oversee the performance of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor during the detailed design and procurement phases over the next 14 months.

It will also supervise the construction and commissioning works until the final delivery of the project in 2022.

The project was awarded through the downstream subsidiary Adnoc Refining.

In a statement, WorleyParsons CEO Andrew Wood said: “We are delighted that Adnoc Refining has placed its trust in WorleyParsons on this highly strategic project and we look forward to working with Adnoc to achieve its vision for the Ruwais refinery.”

Last month, Adnoc Refining awarded the $3.1bn EPC contract for the project to a joint venture of South Korea’s Samsung Engineering and Netherlands-based CB&I.

The refinery modifications, scheduled for completion by the end of 2022, will enable Adnoc’s Ruwais refinery-west complex to process up to 420,000 barrels a day (b/d) of Upper Zakum crude, or similar crude types from the market. This will free up Murban-grade crude, which commands a higher price on global oil markets, for export sales.

The planned modifications will add an atmospheric residue de-sulphurisation (ARDS) unit that will enable the refinery to process the Upper Zakum crude, or other similar crudes from the market.

The ARDS technology is used to upgrade medium to heavy petroleum oils and residues to more valuable, environmentally friendly transportation fuels, and to partially convert the residues to produce low-sulphur fuel oil and hydro-treated feedstocks.