A shallow sea area 100 kilometers east of the coast of Qatar is about to undergo a comprehensive upgrade of an old oil field that has been in service for over 60 years. On September 16th, Qatar Energy officially announced the winning bid results for the two main EPC sections of the Maydan Mahzam offshore oil field redevelopment, with a total investment scale of 4 billion to 5 billion US dollars. This marks a new milestone in the competitive landscape of the global offshore engineering market.

Mature oil fields launch super life extension project

The Maydan Mahzam oil field is located in the northeast waters of Qatar, with an operating depth of about 40 meters. It was discovered in the 1960s along with the neighboring Bul Hanine oil field and was officially put into operation in 1965. It has been operating stably for over 60 years. As an important mature oil and gas asset in Qatar, oil fields are currently facing industry wide challenges such as aging facilities and gradually declining recovery rates. The core goal of this redevelopment is to extend the oil field's production life and maintain long-term stable production capacity output through the upgrading of the entire chain of facilities.

The entire project started bidding in February 2025, dividing the redevelopment plan into four sections. The contractor submitted the technical bid in September 2025 and after multiple delays, submitted the final commercial quotation on June 21, 2026. The final two major bid sections were determined from six international competitors: Package 1, the largest scale, was won by a consortium of Vietnam's PTSC and Singapore's Seatrium, while China National Offshore Oil Corporation won Package 2. The core construction period of the project will provide key support for Qatar's offshore oil and gas production capacity in the next 5 to 10 years.

China's offshore engineering enters the stage of deep cultivation in the Middle East

China National Offshore Oil Corporation won the bid for Package 2, which is its second large-scale general contracting project in the Qatar market in less than a year. In August 2025, the company has won two sections of the Bul Hanine Oilfield EPIC project, with a contract amount of approximately 4 billion US dollars, covering more than 60 individual offshore oil and gas facilities, 40 submarine pipelines and cables, and a total steel processing capacity of over 130000 tons. The project officially started construction in Qingdao, Shandong on September 15, 2026.

Currently, the manufacturing cost of China's offshore engineering is 15% to 20% lower than that of South Korea and 25% to 30% lower than that of Singapore. The construction cycle of large modules has been compressed to within 24 months, and the localization matching rate exceeds 85%. From an early structural construction subcontractor to a full process EPCI general contractor covering design, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning, China National Offshore Engineering Corporation's role in the Qatar market continues to upgrade, marking its entry into a new stage of development in the high-end Middle East market from a single point of breakthrough to deep cultivation. Keywords: petroleum, oilfield development

From upgrading 60 year old oil fields to quietly rewriting the global offshore market landscape, this super order with a total investment of nearly 30 billion yuan is directly extending China's offshore competitiveness into Qatar's shallow waters.Editor/Cheng Liting