Front runners have emerged for 11 engineering, procurement, construction and installation contracts for Saudi Aramco's offshore projects, together worth up to $3 billion.

The EPCI contracts were tendered last year for the continued development of multiple offshore fields in Saudi Arabia and Upstream recently reported that Aramco is nearing decision phase.

The so-called contract release and purchase orders (CRPOs) are awarded under the framework of Aramco’s long term agreement (LTA) programme to which 10 leading international contracting giants are qualified.