Saudi Arabian Maritime Complex: McDermott Breaks Ground on Fabrication Facility

Saudi Aramco and McDermott have reached a significant milestone with McDermott breaking ground on its new fabrication facility within the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services in Ras Al-Khair, Saudi Arabia.

The overall site which is being developed by Saudi Aramco is expected to be the largest maritime industries complex in the Kingdom and the Middle East region in terms of production, capacity and scale.

Within the development, McDermott is building a facility spanning 1.2 million square meters that will include offices, pre-fabrication shops, blasting and painting shops and large assembly shops capable of fabricating platforms and modules for both offshore and onshore projects for Saudi Aramco and other customers in the region. The facility will incorporate up to 80,000 square meters of covered shops to house the latest automation technology and will also include a 580-meter reinforced bulkhead providing marine access.

“The King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services would offer opportunities for strategic industries to operate and flourish in the Kingdom and enable localizing the maritime industry,” Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi, Saudi Aramco Senior Vice President of Technical Services, commented.

“With McDermott breaking ground, we move a step closer to the Complex acting as a hub for job creation and supply chain development in accordance with Saudi Vision 2030 objectives,” Mohammad Al Assaf, Saudi Aramco Vice President of New Business Development, said.

In March 2019, Saudi Aramco signed a land lease agreement with McDermott Arabia Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc., to grant McDermott a lease to establish this fabrication facility. Under the provisions of the land lease agreement, McDermott will benefit from the Complex wide infrastructure that is being developed by Saudi Aramco. Such infrastructure includes employee accommodation, medial facilities and recreation areas that will support McDermott in attracting and retaining a workforce with significant Saudi national content.