MEED reported that Saudi Aramco has awarded a contract worth up to USD 500 million for pipeline and power cable equipment to UAE's Valentine Maritime as part of a series of major contracts on its 900,000 barrel a day Manifa oil field development.

The report said that Valentine Maritime beat competition from 5 other bidders, including Jebel Ali based J Ray McDermott, National Petroleum Construction Company, South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries, Italy's Saipem and Global al Rushaid.

The contract involves laying up to 300 kilometers of onshore pipeline, as well as power cables and associated equipment. It is a significant win for Valentine. Its Saudi subsidiary is expected to carry out the 14 month engineering, procurement and construction contract, with work scheduled to start this year.

Aramco is poised to award the three main EPC deals on Manifa to Italy's Snamprogetti, Japan's JGC Corporation and Spain's TR in the next few weeks.

Snamprogetti has won the main USD 1.8 billion package covering the construction of central processing facilities, including a gas oil separation plant. JGC is poised to take the second package, worth USD 800 million, covering the utilities, storage and shipping at the central processing facility. TR has secured the smallest deal, worth USD 500 million, covering power generation and the main substation.

In May 2008, US based Natco won a deal to provide equipment and technology for Manifa to front-end engineering and design contractor Foster Wheeler.