US-based oilfield services provider McDermott International has been awarded a contract by Shell for the Manatee natural gas project offshore Trinidad & Tobago. The contract covers engineering, procurement, construction, installation, hook-up, and commissioning (EPCI) for the shallow-water Manatee development.
The award follows Shell’s final investment decision on the project last month and comes after McDermott’s successful completion of the front-end engineering design and initial planning stages. Under the new contract, McDermott said it will handle the design, procurement, and fabrication of a platform and jacket for Manatee. Additionally, the company will design, install, and commission a 32-inch gas pipeline connecting the production platform to Shell’s gas processing facility, along with a fibre optic cable for the project.
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“This award leverages our unique, integrated EPCI capabilities and legacy of engineering excellence and innovation to successfully deliver large offshore platforms and complex subsea infrastructure worldwide,” said McDermott Senior Vice President of subsea and floating facilities Mahesh Swaminathan.
Manatee is located in Trinidad’s east coast marine area, a prolific gas-producing region that includes other Shell-operated fields like Dolphin and Starfish. The field is part of the Loran-Manatee discovery, which straddles the maritime border between Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Manatee holds approximately 2.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas on Trinidad’s side, with production expected to start in 2027 and peak at 604 million cubic feet per day.
