Aberdeen-based Sparrows Group (www.sparrowsgroup.com) has been awarded a project through engineering specialist McDermott International that will see it deliver two of its EC750 cranes for installation on well-head platforms, as well as an EC1000 crane for a riser platform, at North Field (Qatar).

This is said to be the world’s largest natural-gas field,with about 10% of the world’s known reserves.

The expansion project includes eight well-head platforms, and 80 new wells will be drilled.

The cranes are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year; they will then be delivered to Indonesia, where the platform top-sides are currently being constructed, and Sparrows will oversee their installation and commissioning.

When they go into service at North Field, spare parts will be stored locally to ensure that future maintenance work can be carried out effectively.

Stewart Mitchell, Sparrows CEO, said: “We have a strong presence in Qatar, and our ability to provide on-going support in-country for safety-critical equipment was a key factor in us securing this project.

“The North Field expansion is a key project for the Middle East; it will see LNG production capacity increase by 43%.”