Saudi Aramco signs deals to build Gulf’s biggest shipyard

Saudi Aramco President Amin H. Nasser, Lamprell CEO Christopher McDonald, Bahri acting CEO Ali Al Harbi and Jong Chul Kim, vice president of new business development, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and others at the signing ceremony. (AN photo)

JEDDAH: Saudi Aramco plans to build the Gulf’s largest shipyard through a joint venture with three companies that it announced on Wednesday, a $5.2 billion project aimed at helping reduce the economy’s reliance on oil.
Aramco signed an agreement with Lamprell Plc, the National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), and Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. to enter into a joint venture (JV) partnership with respect to the establishment, development and operation of a world-class maritime yard, which is the anchor project within the King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services located in Ras Al-Khair, near the Jubail Industrial City on the Kingdom’s east coast.
Major production is expected to start in 2019 with the yard hitting full capacity by 2022. It will be able to work on four offshore rigs and over 40 vessels a year including three very large crude carriers (VLCCs), Aramco said.
“The directors expect that the maritime yard will be the largest in the Arabian Gulf in terms of production capacity and scale,” Lamprell said in a statement.
The government will cover about $3.5 billion of the total cost, with the remainder funded by the joint venture, said Lamprell, which will invest up to $140 million and own 20 percent of the venture.
Aramco will own 50.1 percent, investing as much as $351 million.
Bahri will invest up to $139 million for a 19.9 percent stake and Hyundai up to $70 million for 10 percent. The Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) has agreed to provide a debt facility worth about $1 billion.
As part of the deal, Saudi Aramco’s parent firm will buy 20 jack-up drilling rigs as well as offshore support vessels and services from the joint venture, Lamprell said.
Lamprell shares jumped 13 percent after the announcement.
Bahri will buy at least 75 percent of its commercial vessel requirements over 10 years from the venture — a minimum of 52 commercial vessels including a “significant number” of VLCCs, Lamprell said.
US oilfield services and equipment provider McDermott International has said it will build a fabrication yard at the Ras Al-Khair complex and move some of its operations gradually from Dubai to Ras Al-Khair by the mid-2020s.