Gulf Drilling International (GDI), a subsidiary of Gulf International Services, has awarded a QR59mn contract to Nakilat-Keppel Offshore Marine (N-KOM) for the major repair, modification and upgrade works to its offshore jack-up rig ‘Al-Doha’.The work is scheduled to commence in May and will continue through August 2011, said a spokesman of Gulf International Services in a communiqué to the Qatar Exchange.In co-operation with its renowned technical partner Keppel Offshore Marine, N-KOM operates the world-class ‘Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard’ facility in the Ras Laffan port, Qatar.The recently inaugurated shipyard is the only facility in Qatar fully capable of performing the repair, modification and upgrade work required for ‘Al-Doha’. This contract represents the first project of its kind to be undertaken by N-KOM in Qatar.GDI, which has five offshore jack-up rigs and four onshore rigs, is planning to raise $250mn through syndicated loans as part of its rig expansion; GDI chief executive Ibrahim al-Othman was quoted as saying by Zawya Dow Jones.He said GDI was committed to the growth of Qatar’s industrial base and in promoting business opportunities with another Qatari company.“We expect a considerable amount of our future shipyard work to be contracted to N-KOM as the company has provided us with the confidence and assurance of their capabilities to deliver the services we need within a specified time period and at a competitive price,” he added.Mohamed Ghannam, chairman of N-KOM, said Nakilat and its joint ventures continue to aggressively market the capabilities of the new shipyard.He said the N-KOM joint venture was key to the goal of positioning Qatar as an internationally recognised centre of excellence in ship repair, maintenance and conversion.“N-KOM is very optimistic about its future prospects, including the potential prospect of building a new jack-up rig in the near future from our facility at Ras Laffan,” Abu Bakar Mohamed Nor, its CEO said.