Harbour Energy launches international tender for Zama field FPSO
Harbour Energy has issued an international public bid invitation for the development of the Zama oil field offshore Mexico, marking a significant step forward under its operatorship of the major shallow-water project.
The company, acting as operator of the Zama unit, is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from national and international companies for a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) scope for an FPSO vessel, including a lease-and-operate option.
Interested parties must submit EOIs within seven calendar days of the tender’s publication, with detailed information to be shared exclusively with registered companies.
Submissions should be sent to [email protected].
The tender is one of several recently launched by Harbour for the Zama project, alongside packages for subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF), subsea production systems, and 3D ocean-bottom node seismic acquisition.
Harbour was appointed operator of Zama in late December 2025, with approval from partners including Pemex (≈50.4%), Talos Energy, and Grupo Carso. Harbour holds a 32.2% operated interest. The shift to Harbour’s leadership aims to accelerate development of the large oil discovery, which holds substantial resources (hundreds of millions of barrels recoverable).
Partners are advancing a phased, capital-efficient development concept centered on an FPSO for initial production. Front-end engineering and design activities are targeted for completion in 2026, paving the way for a FID in late 2026 or 2027. The project has seen previous delays but has gained momentum since unitization and the operatorship transition.
Harbour says that this FPSO tender underscores its push to optimize concepts and move the long-anticipated Zama project closer to first oil. Industry observers will watch closely for contractor responses and subsequent FEED awards in the coming months.
Further updates are expected as the bidding process advances and additional tender results emerge.
About the Author
Bruce Beaubouef
Managing Editor
Bruce Beaubouef is Managing Editor for Offshore magazine. In that capacity, he plans and oversees content for the magazine; writes features on technologies and trends for the magazine; writes news updates for the website; creates and moderates topical webinars; and creates videos that focus on offshore oil and gas and renewable energies. Beaubouef has been in the oil and gas trade media for 25 years, starting out as Editor of Hart’s Pipeline Digest in 1998. From there, he went on to serve as Associate Editor for Pipe Line and Gas Industry for Gulf Publishing for four years before rejoining Hart Publications as Editor of PipeLine and Gas Technology in 2003. He joined Offshore magazine as Managing Editor in 2010, at that time owned by PennWell Corp. Beaubouef earned his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 1997, and his dissertation was published in book form by Texas A&M University Press in September 2007 as The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: U.S. Energy Security and Oil Politics, 1975-2005.