Australian co bags Kochi pipeline deal

Melbourne, 10 July (UNI) Australian Construction and contract mining group Leighton Holdings Ltd has announced that its subsidiary, Leighton Asia (Southern), has secured a 40 million dollar contract for the installation of a crude oil pipeline at Cochin, for Kochi Refineries.

The pipeline, which is about 20 kilometres long and 48 inches in diameter, would be used to import crude oil to the Kochi oil refinery at Cochin on India's south-west coast, a press release to Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) said.

The Australian construction giant would be responsible for the installation of the offshore section of the Kochi refinery pipeline, as well as a single point mooring (SPM) at the end of the line. Work will commence immediately and the project is due for completion in April 2007.

''India offers perhaps more potential than any other market in our region. The country's continued growth depends on rapid improvements in infrastructure and we are perfectly positioned to benefit from the opportunities this presents,'' Managing Director of Leighton Asia (Southern) David Savage said.

Leighton Asia (Southern) has been operating in the subcontinent for few years as an office was established in Mumbai in 2004. The company recently completed a mobile phone manufacturing facility near Chennai for Swedish telecommunications major Nokia, and is currently completing a similar facility for Flextronics in the same area.

The company now has three offices in India. The Mumbai office acts as the country headquarters and the base for pursuing oil and gas projects. The Chennai office focuses on building-related works and the Delhi office concentrates on opportunities in infrastructure and mining, the statement said.

UNI XC AD/CS RS1452