China - August 20, 2024

China delivers largest overseas offshore oil platform to Saudi Arabia's Aramco

(Stand_up)

Zhou Yixin, Reporter:

"I'm now on the main deck of the Marjan Tie-In Oil and Gas Gathering and Transportation Platform. The main deck is roughly the size of 15 standard basketball courts and the total weight of the platform exceeds 17,000 tons, which is equivalent to about 17,000 cars. And the overall height of the platform is over 24 stories high."

(Voice_over)

The completion of the Marjan platform marks a major breakthrough in China’s marine oil and gas equipment technology.

Once installed, it will serve as a central hub for the Marjan oilfield cluster. With an annual capacity to gather and transport 24 million tons of crude oil and 7.4 billion cubic meters of associated gas, the Marjan platform ranks among the top globally in terms of its ability to gather and transport oil and gas.

Construction of the Marjan platform has overcome a number of technical challenges, and followed strict quality requirements. With the scale and complexity of the project, including inclined deck plates and large-scale pipeline installations, the team employed advanced technologies such as intelligent management systems, integrated and visual construction models, and the automatic welding of composite material.

(Sound_bite)

Wei Li, Project Construction Manager, Marjan Project, China Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation (COOEC) Qingdao Branch:

"Projects in the Middle East are known for their unique system standards and stringent quality control requirements. Saudi Aramco's engineering standards are non-negotiable and must be fully adhered to. Throughout the project, we resolved numerous challenges. For example, the construction standard required all decks to have a 1:100 incline, which demanded extremely precise dimension control. We assigned unique identification numbers to nearly 100,000 load-bearing supports, each custom-made with minute differences, almost tailored to each installation coordinate."

(Voice_over)

The successful delivery of the Marjan platform marks China Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation’s first venture as an engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for Saudi Aramco. The project also marks the first time a Chinese company has undertaken a mega-scale EPC project for Saudi Aramco in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Industry insiders say the achievement fully demonstrates China’s capabilities in executing high-standard international projects.

(Sound_bite)

Xu Qian, Deputy Coordination Manager of Marjan Project,China Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation:

"COOEC has been consistently pursuing a global market strategy, responding to the calls of the Belt and Road Initiative. Throughout our collaboration with Saudi Aramco, from project bidding to the final delivery, we received strong recognition from the client. Through close cooperation, we achieved a win-win situation. The successful delivery of the Marjan platform has paved the way for more cooperation between Chinese enterprises and the Middle Eastern market."

(Voice_over)

The Marjan platform is poised to play a critical role in increasing production at Saudi Aramco's Marjan oilfield by connecting key production and transportation facilities. Officials say the project highlights China’s ability to tackle complex engineering challenges, and represents Beijing's commitment to international win-win cooperation.

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