The biggest contracts announced by ExxonMobil so far have been won by companies from UK, US, Canada and Italy.
According to the data centralized by ZF from the e-licitatie (an electronic public procurement system) website, ExxonMobil has twelve open tenders for the acquisition of equipment and services for its exploration works in the Black Sea worth up to $976.1 million. Bids are expected for all the tenders until mid January 2013.
The most valuable contract ExxonMobil is looking to award entails acquisition of maritime drilling services in the Black Sea for which it is willing to pay $250 million to $750 million. The contract will entail drilling of no more than seven deepwater wells in the Neptun block that Romania’s largest company Petrom owns.
The air transport services the US giant will need to fly its personnel to the offshore rigs could cost another $75 million, and they make another contract currently awaiting bids.
Although companies involved in this project said that exploration works in the Black Sea would create opportunities for the local oil service industry, the major contracts ExxonMobil has awarded so far went to foreign companies from the UK, US, Canada and Italy. For instance, a $76 million maritime drilling contract went to Transocean Drilling based in the UK. US’ Schlumberger, represented by its Romanian branch, won other contracts.
According to e-licitatie data only one Romanian company won a contract. That company is Grup Servicii Petroliere, the flagship company of the Upetrom group, controlled by Constanta businessman Gabriel Comanescu. Grup Servicii Petroliere won a $0.8 million contract for transportation by sea.
ExxonMobil officials did not return ZF’s calls for comment on the contracts signed since the start of the exploration works in the Black Sea in partnership with Petrom.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)