OREANDA-NEWS. March 13, 2014. ArcelorMittal’s Industeel site in Le Creusot, France, will provide 5,400 tonnes of clad steel plates for the Zakum oil field, the largest oilfield in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one of the largest offshore oilfields in the world.

The order is the biggest ever recorded at ArcelorMittal Le Creusot and also one of the largest orders for clad steel plates ever placed.

With the project on a tight schedule, this order alone will require the Le Creusot equipment to run at full capacity for four consecutive months.

The Zakum oilfield, located north-west of Abu Dhabi, is owned by Zakum Development Company (ZADCO), a joint venture between ADNOC (60%) acting as the operator, ExxonMobil (28%) and Japan Oil Development Company (Jodco-12%).

ZADCO is currently able to produce 500,000 barrels of oil per day. In order to increase its production capacity by 25% by the end of 2017, the company is currently building new wells and processing units – and that is where ArcelorMittal’s steels come in.

The construction of these additional facilities will require tubes and fittings which customers Tectubi Raccodi and EEW will manufacture using ArcelorMittal steels. Of the total volume of 5,400 tonnes, 4,342 will be supplied to EEW in Germany, and 1,101 to Tectubi Raccodi in Italy. Delivery to the two customers will start at the beginning of April, and is set to be completed by mid July.

The order gives the Le Creusot site the opportunity to demonstrate the site’s expertise and know-how by meeting the customers’ stringent requirements, under challenging conditions. The site is hoping to also win the bid for next phase of the project, which involves the construction of a fourth offshore platform.