The contracts cover engineering, fabrication and construction, project management and other services for the ACG field development project

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Images: BP is the operator of the ACG field. Photo courtesy of Kasey Houston from FreeImages.

BP and its partners have awarded contracts for the $6bn (£4.8bn) Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field development project, 20km off the coast of Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea.

The contracts awards covering engineering, fabrication and construction, project management and other services, follow the final investment decision (FID) for the project announced in April 2019.

BP is the operator of the ACG field and its partners include SOCAR/AzACG, Chevron, INPEX, Equinor, ExxonMobil, TPAO, ITOCHU and ONGC Videsh.

A total of six construction contracts awarded for ACG field development project

A consortium consisting of BOS Shelf and Star Gulf FZCO has been awarded a $260m (£208.8m) contract for the fabrication of the jacket for the ACE platform and skirt piles.

Under the contract, the consortium will be responsible for shop and erection engineering, rolling of tubulars, fabrication and assembly of the jacket and skirt piles, commissioning of installation systems, load-out and sea-fastening of the facility.

A $486m (£390.4m) contract for the fabrication and integration of the topsides unit for the ACE platform has been awarded to Azfen.

The scope of work includes fabrication and erection engineering, and fabrication, assembly and integration of the platform topsides.

Additionally, Azfen will be responsible for the fabrication of a lightweight drilling package (to be designed by National Oilwell Varco), provision of commissioning support services, load-out, hook-up and offshore commissioning support.

Azfen plans to build the topsides unit at the fabrication yard in Bibi-Heybat near Baku.

BP also awarded a contract worth more than $151m (£121.3m) to National Oilwell Varco (NOV) (USA) for the topsides drilling facility engineering, procurement and construction supervision.

The scope of work includes detailed design, engineering and equipment procurement and shipment of the drilling facility to Baku, as well as construction supervision oversight of the topsides unit and drilling facility fabricator’s activities including rig fabrication, integration, hook-up and commissioning.

Emtunga Solutions secured an EPC contract for the living quarters for the platform. It will also be responsible for integration and commissioning technical support for the living quarters.

BP also awarded more than $76m (£61m) engineering contract to the SOCAR-KBR joint venture. Transglobal Projects (TGP) has been selected for the freight management services as part of the Regional Master Agreement.

BP projects vice-president Ewan Drummond said: “BP as operator is pleased to announce the first package of key contracts awarded to execute the ACE project safely, efficiently and on schedule.

“Construction activities, which have commenced this year and will run through mid-2022, are taking place in-country utilizing local resources and it is expected that, at peak, construction works will create up to 8,000 jobs.”

In April, BP and its partners approved the ACE project, which marks the next stage of development of the super-giant offshore Azerbaijani oilfield in the Caspian Sea.