Umm Shaif Integrated Gas Cap Development — Offshore Abu Dhabi

ADNOC is developing the gas cap sitting above the Umm Shaif oil field offshore Abu Dhabi, a roughly $6.2 billion project that took final investment decision in July 2026. McDermott International holds package 4, worth more than $1 billion, covering a new surface pressure boosting facility.

Project Scope

Umm Shaif is a natural gas layer covering an underground oil reservoir that has been producing since 1958. The integrated gas cap and surface pressure boosting project raises output capacity to 600 million standard cu ft per day, roughly a tenth of UAE daily gas consumption. Later phases could take it to 1.5 billion standard cu ft per day.

Package 4 is an engineering, procurement, construction and installation scope delivered by McDermott with the Qingdao McDermott Wuchuan consortium in China. The work covers the complete scope for a new surface pressure boosting facility, including fabrication and installation of a jacket and topside. McDermott says the finished topside will rank among the heaviest offshore modules ever installed in the Middle East. Fabrication runs 24 to 36 months at the Qingdao yard, with McDermott’s UAE offices handling engineering and project management. Worley performed front-end engineering design.

ADNOC operates and holds 60% of the development, with TotalEnergies, Eni and China National Petroleum Corp. holding the balance.

Why It Matters

Producing the gas cap above a 68-year-old oil reservoir is a reservoir management problem before it is a construction problem. Pull gas off the cap too aggressively and you lose pressure support for the oil below it. The surface pressure boosting facility is what makes the combined recovery work, which is why the topside is as heavy as it is.

For the offshore fabrication market, a record-weight Middle East module booked into a Chinese yard for up to three years tightens capacity in a sector where very few facilities can handle the load-out. Owners planning offshore work through 2029 should assume the queue got shorter.

Project Team & Details