Italian contractor Saipem has emerged as the frontrunner to win an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) tender for offshore infrastructure at Saudi Aramco’s Marjan and Safaniya fields.

Designated as Contract Release and Purchase Order (CRPO) 163 under Aramco’s offshore procurement programme, the scope of work covers the replacement of seven rigid pipelines spanning a combined length of 26.93 kilometres, as well as topsides modification works.

Aramco issued the tender for CRPO 163 alongside CRPOs 162 and 164 last year. Contractors prequalified under Aramco’s Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool submitted technical bids by 16 July and commercial bids by 29 July.

Saipem was awarded CRPO 162 capex of $50bn-$55bn in 2026, with about 65%-70% of the budget earmarked for upstream oil and gas projects. The company has awarded an estimated $15bn so far this year, data shows.

Offshore developments represent a substantial portion of this outlay, accounting for approximately $3.5bn-$4bn in EPCI awards year-to-date. Aramco recently awarded five offshore EPCI packages – CRPOs 167 through 171 – with a combined estimated value of $2bn. Abu Dhabi-based NMDC Energy secured CRPOs 167, 169 and 171, while Saipem picked up CRPOs 168 and 170.