THE FRONT-end engineering design contract (FEED) for the Medgaz offshore pipeline project in the Mediterranean has been awarded to Intec Engineering. The pipeline will transport high-pressure gas from Algeria to Spain for both Spanish and European markets. Andrew Brady, Intec's project manager for the FEED studies, says the company will draw on its experience in designing large-diameter pipeline systems for ultra-deepwater while also considering project-specific technical challenges. Relevant issues include geohazards associated with the steep continental shelf margins and biodiverse coastal areas of Spain and Algeria, both of which cater for fishing and tourism industries. Medgaz' partners include Sonatrach, Algeria's national oil company, CEPSA, BP, Total, Endesa, Gaz de France, and the Spanish energy company Iberdrola. The proposed twin 200-km long pipelines will traverse a maximum water depth of 2,160m in the Mediterranean Sea from Beni Saf, Algeria, to landfall at Playa del Charco, near Almeria, Spain. The two pipelines are being designed to transport a total volume of 16Bcum/yr of gas, with an estimated start-up rate of 7Bcum/yr targeted for the third quarter of 2006. Intec is scheduled to complete the FEED activities in February, 2004, and EPIC contract activities are scheduled to commence during the third quarter 2004, following project approval by appropriate authorities in Spain and Algeria. At present, survey vessels are working along the proposed route pipelines, gathering geotechnical information, with particular emphasis on near-shore areas. Data from these surveys will help to characterize the soils, facilitate route selection, and ensure appropriate protection of environmentally sensitive areas. Intec's scope of work for the contract includes the design/engineering of the offshore pipeline, shore approaches, and short onshore pipeline sections to the onshore terminals at either end of the trunkline. While the company is executing the work from its Woking, UK, office near London, Brady says that the company's offices in Delft, Netherlands, and Houston are providing technical support and peer review.