China finishes work on mega oil and gas platform destined for the Gulf

The platform, which was built in the eastern port of Qingdao by the state-owned China Offshore Oil Engineering Company, will be transported to the Marjan oil field in the Gulf at the end of the month.

“The completion of the Marjan oil and gas platform marks a breakthrough in China’s technology in large-scale offshore oil and gas equipment construction,” CCTV said.

China has aimed to boost its strength in advanced manufacturing as part of efforts to move up the industrial chain.

The Marjan oil field lies off the east coast of Saudi Arabia and is owned and operated by the state-owned oil and gas company Saudi Aramco.

According to Offshore Technology, a London-based industry news source, the platform is part of the US$12 billion Marjan crude increment programme to expand the field’s capacity by 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

It will also process an extra 2.5 billion standard cubic feet per day, generating 360,000 barrels of ethane and natural gas liquids, the report said.