Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Orpic Group announced that three companies have been awarded Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) contracts, according to a company statement.

The three companies awarded FEED contracts are Japan’s JGC Corporation, McDermott International, and TechnipFMC. Contracts are part of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant set for construction and commissioning in Sohar Port, approximately 200 kilometers to the west of Muscat.

At the end of the FEED contract, the three contenders will compete for an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract.

This project, which is developed by OOC and Total E&P Oman Development, aims to make Oman as a regional LNG bunkering hub capable of supplying LNG as a fuel to marine vessels, with an annual LNG production capacity of 1 million tons in Sohar.