First steel cut for Murphy's Lac Da Vang platform in Vung Tau. Photo: PTSC

MCB is a subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corporation (Murphy), a US exploration and production company.

This occasion represents the official start of the construction phase for the platform, which will be installed at Block 15-1/05 of the Cuu Long Basin on the Southeast continental shelf of Vietnam, approximately 120 km east of Vung Tau, to support the Lac Da Vang Oil Field Development Project, operated by MCB.

The initial Lac Da Vang Phase 1A development includes a central complex platform (Lac Da Vang - A Platform), which processes crude oil to meet export quality standards.

PTSC M&C is the main contractor responsible for the completed engineering, procurement, construction, transportation, installation, hook-up, and commissioning of the Lac Da Vang - A Platform, following the contract being awarded on May 31.

The Lac Da Vang - A Platform comprises topsides with two modules and a flare boom, weighing over 6,000 metric tonnes, along with a jacket and piles weighing more than 4,500 metric tonnes. The ceremonial cutting of the first steel signifies the beginning of the structural fabrication process, which is expected to complete the offshore installation by the third quarter of 2026.

The Lac Da Vang oil field underscores the first offshore project developed by Murphy in Vietnam, and also the first collaboration between the US operator with PTSC M&C in project development.