Saudi Aramco has awarded General Dynamics Worldwide Telecommunication Systems�a business unit of Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics Corp.�a $27.8 million contract to build a new fiber-optic network connecting its Persian Gulf offshore oil platforms to the mainland.
Design and procurement work is planned to begin in November, followed by installation and commissioning of the new network, plus removal of the existing microwave equipment, in 2001. Project completion is scheduled for August 2002.
Through this contract, General Dynamics will replace existing microwave systems on oil platforms in the Persian Gulf with undersea fiber optic cable. The synchronous digital hierarchy network will support high-bandwidth voice and data communications, allowing land-based decision authorities to monitor performance of the oil platforms at sea.
General Dynamics Worldwide Telecommunication Systems will provide program management, design, procurement, installation, and commissioning of the network.
General Dynamics Advanced Technology Systems, which operates a fleet of cable-laying ships specifically designed to install and service undersea telecommunications systems, will complete a detailed survey of the Saudi coast seabed. Upon survey completion, General Dynamics will design and install an undersea fiber optic cabling system.