KEY POINTS
- Hill International landed a $235 million project management deal in Libya on a stalled $8B offshore project.
- Mellitah Oil & Gas, a JV between Eni and Libya’s NOC, is pushing forward with the Structures A&E development.
- The move signals a broader attempt to restore confidence in Libya’s upstream sector after years of political paralysis.
Hill International, a U.S.-based construction management firm, has secured a $235 million contract to oversee a long-delayed offshore development in Libya, as the war-battered North African nation tries to reboot major energy projects with foreign partners.
The deal, tied to the $8 billion Structures A&E project operated by Mellitah Oil & Gas—a joint venture between Italy’s Eni and Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC)—was signed last week in Tripoli.
The agreement was inked in the presence of Raouf Ghali, Hill’s chief executive, NOC chairman Masoud Suleiman, and Masad Boulos, an advisor to former U.S. President Donald Trump on African affairs.
Energy News Africa reports that the offshore development aims to add two massive platforms that will move oil, gas, and carbon dioxide through existing infrastructure, including the Sabratha platform.
It’s one of Libya’s largest energy schemes and a litmus test for how fast the country can attract—and retain—serious Western involvement despite political turbulence.
A comeback bid for Libya’s offshore push
“This marks a crucial step for Libya’s energy future,” a spokesperson for Eni confirmed in an email. “We can confirm that a contract for project management services was awarded to Hill International in early June.” The company declined to elaborate further.
Hill, headquartered in New Jersey, merged with California’s Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. in 2022 and has since been angling to deepen its footprint in frontier markets.
Ghali, who leads the firm, was among a delegation of U.S. business leaders who joined Trump on a business mission to Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
The contract comes at a time when international companies are beginning to tiptoe back into Libya, spurred by relative stability in recent months and the enormous promise of untapped reserves.
In July, BP and Shell both held meetings with top NOC officials about possible expansions.
Mellitah Oil & Gas has faced years of delays on the Structures A&E project, largely due to the country’s fragile security situation and repeated government changes.
The signing of a project management services contract may now signal renewed momentum.
Neither Hill International nor the U.S. embassy in Libya offered comment before publication.
