Australian construction and mining major Leighton International has bagged a USD 720 million contract from Oil & Natural Gas Corporation for the construction of offshore pipelines in India.

The project, Pipeline Replacement Project 2 involves engineering, procurement and installation of over 200 kilometer of fixed and flexible pipelines of various diameters in the Mumbai High field some 80 kilometer off the coast of Mumbai.

Offshore works on the project will commence in November 2008 and will take place during the period from November to May each year for the next 3 years. Stage one will be completed by May 2009, stage two in 2010, and stage three in 2011.

Mr David Savage MD of Leighton International said that the new project underlined Leighton’s oil and gas credentials and further consolidated the company’s operations in India. He said “Our capabilities in oil and gas have been strengthened over the years and this project for ONGC is testament to this. This is the second Pipeline Replacement Project being launched by ONGC with more expected in the coming years. This is indicative of the type and scale of oil and gas opportunities available to the company within the region.”

He added that “The project pushes our work in hand to a record USD 3.2 billion. We expect to be able to further increase this figure over the next few months, with the conversion of a number of good prospects in the Persian Gulf. India continues to be a key market for Leighton International and we see further opportunities in oil and gas. We also have strong prospects in transport infrastructure particularly roads and rail, residential, industrial and commercial building, and contract mining.”

Leighton’s oil and gas division in India has grown considerably over the past year following the completion of two oil pipeline projects in India for Reliance Industries and Kochi Refineries. The company has its own marine fleet which includes the pipelay barge, “Stealth”, and crane barge, “Mynx”.