Deal for work on giant Black Sea gas project finds its way to ABL’s worksheet

South-Eastern Europe’s integrated energy player OMV Petrom has selected ABL, part of ABL Group, to provide marine warranty survey (MWS) services for a natural gas project which is said to be the largest one in the Romanian area of the Black Sea.  

Thanks to this deal, ABL’s London operation will be in charge of MWS services, enabling it to review, survey, and approve all operations concerning the transportation & installation (T&I) of project assets for the development of the Neptun Deep natural gas project, which entails the Domino and Pelican South fields. 

As a result, the firm’s responsibilities encompass the T&I of the shallow water platform, subsea installation at both fields and laying a 160-kilometer subsea pipeline from the platform to the shore.

“We are delighted to be awarded by OMV Petrom the opportunity to support this important energy development for Romania and the wider Black Sea,” highlighted Shai Tzucker, ABL’s managing director of energy services in Europe and West Africa. 

“ABL brings significant experience in marine warranty, engineering, consulting and surveying across the Black Sea region. We are also continuously cementing our commitment to the region with the development of our offices in Bulgaria, Turkey and our more recent office opening in Romania.” 

Furthermore, the shallow water platform will be built at yards in Italy and Indonesia. ABL’s project management will be based in London, with operational and on-site activities mainly handled by its local Black Sea operations. According to the firm, its global team will assist the project’s supply chain, including its Indonesian operations in Jakarta and Batam.

“This energy infrastructure project will also play an important role in supporting Europe’s longer-term energy security. As such, we are pleased to offer our capabilities to support the delivery of the project,” said Sergio Leone, MWS Project Manager and Business Development Lead for Europe and Africa.

OMV Petrom expects the delivery of the first gas from Neptun Deep in 2027 while the project remains within the EUR 4 billion (almost $4.31 billion) guidance for total investment. The project’s carbon footprint is anticipated to be better than the industry benchmark, with a carbon footprint of around 2.2 kg CO2/boe at the plateau production level, which is below the industry average of 16.7 kg CO2/boe.

Recently, Greenpeace activists protested at the headquarters of OMV Petrom in Bucharest, Romania, stating that the focus should be on the transition to renewable energies and better energy efficiency and not drilling for and burning more gas.