Photo: The Coated Subsea Pipelines Set Sail

On March 18, the first shipment of seamless subsea pipelines for the Qatar NOC RUYA EPCI09 project (hereinafter referred to as the RUYA project), undertaken by COOEC, completed the coating process, was loaded onto vessels in Zhuhai, and then departed for the Al-Shaheen Oilfield, the largest oil producing field in Qatar. This significant milestone denotes the project's progression from the onshore prefabrication stage to the offshore construction phase.

The RUYA Project, with a contract value of approximately $900 million (about RMB 6.4 billion), is a general-contracting EPCI project of offshore engineering with the largest contract amount that Chinese enterprises have participated in the Middle East. It is also a cornerstone energy initiative under the Belt and Road Initiative. Entrusted by the project's owner, Qatar's North Oil Company (NOC), the scope of work encompasses comprehensive project management, detailed engineering design, procurement, construction, transportation, installation, pre-commissioning, and all associated tasks for 41 subsea pipelines and 9 composite subsea cables within the Al-Shaheen Oilfield area.

The coated subsea pipelines loaded in this shipment, weighing nearly 10,000 metric tons, are the result of a collaborative effort among multiple Chinese enterprises in production, fabrication, and transportation. Employing the advanced deep -sea long-term anticorrosive coating technology independently developed by CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation), these pipelines meet the highest industry standards for acidity resistance and fatigue endurance. Certified by internationally recognized authorities, they are designed to ensure reliable operation and maintenance in the highly corrosive, hyper-saline environment at a depth of 60 meters in the Persian Gulf. This accomplishment marks the first application of domestic steel pipes and coating solutions in Qatari subsea pipeline engineering projects, serving as a prime example for promoting the utilization of domestic materials in international undertakings.

Upon the arrival of this batch of materials in Qatar, offshore construction operations will be carried out in the Al-Shaheen Oilfield, the largest offshore oilfield in Qatar. Once operational, the oilfield is expected to achieve a stable daily production increment of 100,000 barrels, thereby infusing significant "Chinese Impetus" into the development of energy infrastructure in the Middle East region.