June 29 - Topaz Engineering's fabrication and construction unit, through its subsidiary Nico International Hydrospace, has won a EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract worth USD 45 million from Gulf Petrochem.

The contract covers phase 1 of a major petroleum storage terminal in close proximity to the Port of Fujairah. When completed, the terminal will have storage capacity of over 1.0 million cu m at single location.

The facility, which is expected to take 17 months to complete, will feature dock pipeline connectivity to the Port of Fujairah, a pigging system for all dock pipelines, operational flexibility to handle Class A, B, C products in all tanks, a road tanker unloading and loading facility and will be built to NFPA standards including all support systems such as OWS, ETP and compressor station.

Mott MacDonald has been appointed project management consultant and will oversee the entire development.

Gulf Petrochem was founded in 1998 through the vision of developing the potential of exporting petroleum based oils and lubricants to India, and it was established with the commissioning of a re-refinery in Sharjah's Hamriyah Free Zone. Based in the UAE, Petrochem FZC is now one of the region 's leading producers of petroleum products with operations including oil refining, multi product oil trading, grease manufacturing and leasing and storage tank facilities.

Topaz Engineering chief operating officer, Bill Bayliss commented on the contract, "This award once again reinforces Topaz's competitiveness in the local terminal market. We package international EPC experience, proven execution capabilities and a rigorous HSE focus to offer clients a comprehensive, safe and cost-effective engineering solution."