Saudi Aramco this week awarded Baker Hughes (BHGE) a key contract for drilling services, coiled tubing services and drilling fluids engineering services at the 500,000 b/d offshore Marjan field where Aramco plans to increase production to 800,000 b/d. The firm says this is the first of three major offshore contracts to be awarded. The other two projects are for work on adding 250,000 b/d capacity at Berri, and 600,000 b/d at Zuluf. Combined, these three projects will add more than 1mn b/d production capacity to the Saudi offshore, replacing natural decline at more mature onshore fields. Aramco’s stated aim is to maintain production capacity of 12.5mn b/d.