Aker Kvaerner on Q for $10 million deal

has awarded

a $10 million contract to deliver an advanced umbilical system, including engineering and project management, for the deepwater Q field development project in the

. The project will use Aker Kvaerner's advanced steel tube umbilical technology.

Aker Kvaerner Subsea will supply a 19.5 kilometre steel tube carbon fibre enhanced umbilical, including all surface and subsea terminations, to tie the deepwater Q gas field back to the Independence Hub development located 2,400 metres deep. Aker Kvaerner is already delivering the first four carbon rod enhanced steel tube umbilicals to the Independence project in 2006 as part of the largest umbilical contract ever awarded.

The umbilical project management, engineering, manufacturing will be performed at the Aker Kvaerner Mobile, Alabama, USA facility, with dynamic analysis performed in Houston by the Aker Kvaerner Deepwater Group. Delivery is scheduled for November 2006.

Under a separate contract Aker Kvaerner is also providing the subsea controls and distribution equipment for the Q field development.

The Independence Hub, in Mississippi Canyon Block 920, is the host for an initial 15 subsea wells belonging to the Atwater Valley Producers Group which includes Anadarko's Jubilee, Spiderman, Atlas, Vortex, Cheyenne and Mondo NW fields, Dominion's San Jacinto field, Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Corporation's Meganser field and Hydro Gulf of Mexico's Q field.