Offshore builders vie for Dorado platform work

摘要

AUSTRALIAN operator Santos is finalising its list of offshore fabricators that will compete for the prized offshore platform contract for the Dorado oil development off Australia. Malaysia's Sapura Energy and the Indonesian subsidiaries of McDermott International and Saipem, along with Australia's Civmec, are in the mix after coming through a pre-qualification exercise, and one or two other Asian fabrication yards may also be invited to bid, said contractor sources. Numerous contenders - large and small - had submitted pre-qualification documents that outlined their capabilities and experience, and project watchers said operator Santos was favouring more experienced players ahead of smaller regional builders. The selection of Civmec is something of a surprise but Perth-based sources explained that Australian independent Santos is under some pressure to consider awarding work on the project locally. Australia has no local content provisions, so operators have no obligation to award contracts to domestic outfits, but Perth-based sources indicated that Santos is more willing than other operators in Western Australia to accommodate local contractors.