Ramboll was awarded an extended contract for the Upper Zakum Phase II project. In 2009, Ramboll was appointed as a consultant to study the effects of introducing artificial islands and burrow areas to the Upper Zakum oil field, and how the changes in hydrodynamic loads impact the structural integrity of the existing platforms.
In Phase II of development, Ramboll's scope of work is to establish new data for the platforms and pipelines, and provide a detailed structural analysis of eight platforms and a study of the on-bottom stability. Situated about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Abu Dhabi, the Upper Zakum oil field spans more than 288,000 acres (450 square miles) and lies in the deep waters of the Arabian Gulf.