Italian contractor Saipem has shipped the first three modules from Indonesia to Qatar, where they will be installed as part of QatarEnergy LNG’s North Field project.
Saipem said in a social media post on Wednesday the that first three topsides (one wellhead production and two riser platforms) were successfully loaded out from its Karimun fabrication yard in Indonesia.
The modules will be installed on the northeast coast of Qatar for QatarEnergy LNG’s North Field production sustainability offshore and pipelines project aimed at sustaining the production plateau of the largest non-associated natural gas field in the world, it said.
Saipem did not provide further information.
QatarEnergy LNG, previously known as Qatargas, awarded more than $3 billion in contracts to Saipem in 2021 related to the North Field production sustainability offshore project.
In 2022, Saipem also won a contract worth about $4.5 billion from the unit of state-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy related to the North Field production sustainability offshore compression complexes project.
QatarEnergy LNG operates 14 LNG production trains with a capacity of about 77 mtpa in Ras Laffan.
QatarEnergy is currently building the North Field East and North Field South expansion projects.
The LNG giant officially started construction on its North Field expansion project in the giant Ras Laffan complex in October last year.
QatarEnergy’s partners in the project are Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Eni, Sinopec, and CNPC.
The project includes six mega trains, each with a production capacity of 8 mtpa of LNG, four of which are part of the North Field East expansion project, and two are part of the North Field South expansion project.
Bedies these projects, the company also recently announced the third North Field expansion phase to boost Qatar’s capacity to 142 mtpa.