Azule Energy Taps Saipem and SLB OneSubsea for Angolan West Hub Tails Development
Azule Energy, the Angola-focused joint venture backed by BP and Eni, has awarded contracts to Saipem and SLB OneSubsea for work on the West Hub Tails project offshore Angola, according to a report from Offshore Magazine. The awards tie into Azule’s ongoing effort to extend production from infrastructure in its Angolan block portfolio.
The contracts cover subsea equipment and services tied to the West Hub Tails development, which is designed to connect additional wells to existing offshore facilities rather than requiring wholly new infrastructure — a common approach in mature basins where brownfield tiebacks can shorten project timelines and reduce capital intensity compared with greenfield builds.
SLB OneSubsea, the subsea production systems joint venture between SLB and Aker Solutions, will handle subsea production hardware and related services. Saipem, the Italian oilfield services contractor, was awarded a separate scope under the same project framework. Specific contract values were not disclosed in the reporting.
West Hub Tails sits within Azule’s broader Angolan deepwater portfolio, which includes assets operated under production-sharing arrangements in blocks 15/06 and 17/06, among others. Tieback-style developments such as this one typically rely on existing floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels — tankers converted or purpose-built to process crude offshore and store it until export.
For service providers, Angolan deepwater work remains a steady source of backlog. Saipem has maintained a longstanding presence in West Africa’s offshore construction market, while the OneSubsea venture has positioned itself as a supplier of subsea trees, manifolds and control systems across the region’s producing fields.
SLB shares traded at $57.10 in recent dealing, up 0.18% from the prior close of $57.00, valuing the company at roughly $84.7 billion.
The award underscores continued contractor activity in Angola’s offshore sector, where operators including Azule have been advancing several incremental projects to sustain output from legacy hubs. Further details on schedules and fabrication locations are expected to be outlined as the project progresses.
What to watch
- Formal contract value disclosures or scope updates from Saipem or SLB OneSubsea
- Project milestone announcements from Azule Energy, including first-production timing targets for West Hub Tails
- Azule’s upcoming operational updates regarding its Angolan portfolio
- SLB’s next quarterly earnings report for commentary on subsea backlog and international activity
Source: original release
