Saudi Arabia's Aramco pre-qualified Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC).
In case of reaching an agreement IOEC will become first Iranian company to develop a Saudi offshore oil project, the Mehr News Agency reported.
Accroding to IOEC Managing Director Masoud Soltanpour so far Saudi Arabia's Aramco, Kuwait's NBC, Emirate's ADNOC and ZADCO, Bahrain National Oil Company, and Oman Oil Company have confirmed the qualification of IOEC.
Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company is the first Iranian general contractor to the oil and gas industries, specializing in offshore engineering, procurement, construction, pipe coating, pipe-laying, and installation of jackets, top sides, etc.
The company was established in 1993 and operates mainly in the Persian Gulf, with its head office in Tehran. It is a joint-venture between IDRO and the National Iranian Oil Company.
IOEC designs, procures, constructs, installs and services a complete range of offshore surface and partial subsurface infrastructure for the offshore oil and gas industries. With over 400 employees, IOEC is one of the largest integrated offshore and sub-sea pipe-laying companies in the Middle East. Iran is self-sufficient in its offshore oil and gas drilling up to a depth of 150 meters (2009).
IOEC has been awarded the contract to develop phases 20 and 21 of South Pars for $5 billion.
IOEC has also carried out some projects in India, Nigeria, and Turkmenistan.