Oil and gas supermajor Shell has signed offshore engineering group Aker Solutions to a one-year framework contract for the supply of sub-sea production umbilical.

“The award means that Aker Solutions will be the preferred supplier of steel tube umbilicals for projects in the North Sea that are managed by Shell's Norwegian and U.K. operations,” a statement from Oslo head office said.

Frame agreements are the preferred way to go in the contracts of the larger supplier contractors, especially in Norway, where they have succeeded in spreading the wealth out to small firms up and down the Nordic country.

The mega deals with large contractor have sown resentment among smaller suppliers who feel hardpressed to overcome longstanding supplier-sub-supplier relationships for a chance to offer their own wares.

Aker Solutions will make its umbilical sets in Moss just south of Oslo, the Norwegian capital, where engineering and project management will hold court.

Tags: Aker Solutions, Aker Subsea, Royal Dutch Shell plc