FOOTSIE-LISTED Hallin Marine has teamed with GeoLab to win the vessel and ROV contract for the Pearl GTL project under development by Shell and Qatar Petroleum.
Geolab has received a letter of intent from main contractor J. Ray McDermott Eastern Hemisphere Limited (JRMEHL) in connection with the contract. GeoLab, regarded as a leading Italian-based marine and survey contractor, partnered with Hallin to bid for the Pearl work. The bid was submitted through GeoLab’s Abu Dhabi branch.
Under the terms of the contract, GeoLab will provide a vessel and Hallin ROV support services for the Pearl GTL contract.
GeoLab’s ROV support vessel, the DP Geo, is currently en route to the Gulf, where she is expected to start operations immediately. Hallin is supplying two ROVs and a crew of some six operators and technicians. They will operate the work-class and the inspection-class vehicles for the contract, which is expected to run for most of the year.
The world-class Pearl GTL (gas-to-liquid) project comprises the development of upstream gas production facilities and an onshore GTL plant designed to produce 140,000bpd of GTL products, as well as about 120,000bpd of associated condensate and liquefied petroleum gas.
The project will be developed in two phases, with the first due to become operational around the end of the decade. The second phase will be completed about one year later. The project includes the development of a block within Qatar’s vast North Field gas reserves, which will produce 1.6billion cu ft per day of natural gas.