← Radar Projects to watch · americas

Four projects to watch.

Large projects being built in 2026–2029, with real demand for technical professionals, spread across regions and kinds. A selection — not a ranking. Follow any of them in your Radar.

Americas · Project controls & management

Region

AllAmericasEuropeAfricaMiddle EastAsia-Pacific

Discipline our inference from each project's scope

AllProcess & technologyPiping & mechanicalStructural & fabricationE&I, controls & HVSubsea & pipelinesMarine & installationCommissioning & start-upConstruction supervision & QA/QCProject controls & managementHSE

One region and one discipline at a time. Clear

Showing 4 of 29 · Project controls & management, in Americas. Show all

How we check

Every project is checked by hand against at least two public sources — company newsrooms, regulators, trade press. No commercial databases.

Each card shows its sources and the date we checked them (every project in this set: on or after 2026-10-08). We re-check every month; a project that finishes or is cancelled leaves the tour.

Companies appear as sourced project facts only. Reported risks are shown as reported. The discipline lists are our own inference and say so. The small dots are other projects from public datasets — context, not checked by us.

  1. 01 / 04LNG

    Rio Grande LNG — Trains 4 and 5

    USA

    One of several US Gulf Coast LNG trains now moving from paper to steel at once.

    SizeTrain 4 and Train 5 add LNG production capacity; combined EPC contract value ~$9.1bn ($4.77bn Train 4 + $4.32bn Train 5)

    1. FID
    2. Engineering (named in the reported phase)
    3. Fabrication (named in the reported phase)
    4. Construction (named in the reported phase)
    5. Installation
    6. Commissioning

    Phase, as reported: engineering / early construction …

    Who builds it

    • NextDecade Corporation operator
    • Bechtel

    4 sources checked on 2026-10-08

    Follow this project
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    Why we watch it

    One of several US Gulf Coast LNG trains now moving from paper to steel at once — Bechtel's fully-wrapped EPC model concentrates years of engineering, procurement and construction-supervision demand into a single contractor's backlog.

    Phase in full, as reported

    engineering / early construction (as of 30 June 2026: Train 4 15.5% complete overall — 69.4% engineering, 25.4% procurement, 1.4% construction; Train 5 9.4% overall — 26.8% engineering, 19.3% procurement; Train 4 soil stabilisation done and foundation pours started for the main cryogenic rack, Train 5 soil stabilisation started early July 2026)

    Who builds it as stated by the sources

    Operator / developerNextDecade Corporation

    • NextDecadedeveloper/owner
    • BechtelEPC contractor under fully-wrapped, lump-sum turnkey contracts for Trains 4 and 5 (and the original Phase 1)

    Key dates as stated by the sources

    Train4 NTP
    9 September 2025
    Train5 NTP
    16 October 2025
    First LNG target
    First gas into the facility expected H2 2026; first LNG from Train 1 H1 2027 (Trains 1-3 already under construction; Trains 4-5 follow)

    Disciplines likely needed our inference

    • process/piping engineering
    • procurement/estimating
    • construction supervision
    • QA/QC
    • planning/project controls

    Derived by us from project kind and phase - not stated by the sources below.

    Sources checked on 2026-10-08

    1. NextDecade Executes EPC Contract with Bechtel for Train 4 at the Rio Grande LNG FacilityBechtel (company press release) · 2024-08-05
    2. NextDecade Corp - Form 10-Q - FY2026 (Q1)U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC filing) · 2026-Q1
    3. NextDecade Finalizes EPC Contract Refresh for Train 4 and Executes EPC Contract for Train 5 at the Rio Grande LNG FacilityNextDecade Corporation (investor newsroom) · 2025-10
    4. NextDecade Corp - Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC filing) · 2026-07-30

    Position on the globe: 25.97°N 97.26°W. Location approximate: Port of Brownsville, Texas.

    This project on its own page - facts, sources and a summary to share.

  2. 02 / 04Naval shipbuilding

    PES Frigate — Colombian Navy strategic surface platform programme

    Colombia

    A Dutch-designed warship being built under licence in Latin America.

    Size107.5 m frigate, 14.02 m beam; largest defence vessel Colombia has built, modular construction with 52 naval steel blocks

    1. FID
    2. Engineering
    3. Fabrication (named in the reported phase)
    4. Construction
    5. Installation
    6. Commissioning

    Phase, as reported: fabrication (first steel-cutting 5 February 2026)

    Who builds it

    • Colombian Navy operator
    • COTECMAR
    • Damen Naval

    4 sources checked on 2026-10-08

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    Why we watch it

    A Dutch-designed warship being built under licence in Latin America — a rare naval/shipbuilding entry showing Damen's engineering and technology-transfer model exported far outside Europe, distinct from its troubled domestic ASW-frigate and cancelled German F126 programmes.

    Who builds it as stated by the sources

    Operator / developerColombian Navy (Armada Nacional de Colombia)

    • COTECMARshipyard, local construction
    • Damen NavalSIGMA-based ship design, engineering, technical support and materials, under a contract signed with COTECMAR

    Key dates as stated by the sources

    Steel cutting
    5 February 2026
    Engine delivery
    Late 2026
    Sea trials target
    2029

    Disciplines likely needed our inference

    • naval architecture/structural engineering
    • systems integration
    • project management
    • QA/QC
    • commissioning (later phase)

    Derived by us from project kind and phase - not stated by the sources below.

    Sources checked on 2026-10-08

    1. COTECMAR and Damen to build frigate for Colombian NavyDamen (company newsroom) · 2024-08-12
    2. COTECMAR Shipyard Starts Construction of First PES Frigate for Colombian NavyNaval News · 2026-02-05
    3. Colombian Navy awards contract to COTECMAR for first PES frigate, ocean patrol vessel, and logistic support shipJanes · 2022-11-30
    4. El presidente de Colombia visita Cotecmar y conoce sus capacidades de construcción navalInfodefensa · 2026-09-22

    Position on the globe: 10.40°N 75.55°W. Location approximate: COTECMAR shipyard, Cartagena, Colombia.

    This project on its own page - facts, sources and a summary to share.

  3. 03 / 04Deepwater FPSO

    FPSO Jaguar — Whiptail development, Stabroek Block

    Guyana

    A brand-new deepwater FPSO hull and topsides being built and commissioned from scratch.

    Size250,000 bopd oil, 540 MMcfd associated gas treatment, 300,000 bpd water injection; ~2 MMbbl storage

    1. FID
    2. Engineering
    3. Fabrication
    4. Construction
    5. Installation (named in the reported phase)
    6. Commissioning

    Phase, as reported: integration / installation …

    Who builds it

    • ExxonMobil operator
    • SBM Offshore

    6 sources checked on 2026-10-08

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    Why we watch it

    A brand-new deepwater FPSO hull and topsides being built and commissioned from scratch, on the standardised Fast4Ward programme SBM now repeats project after project — steady multi-year demand for FPSO engineering, hook-up/commissioning and offshore installation crews.

    Phase in full, as reported

    integration / installation (FPSO: topsides fabrication nearing completion, all process modules lifted onboard, integration and commissioning progressing — SBM reports >50%-<75% complete at H1 2026; subsea SURF installation underway since July 2026, scheduled through end-2026)

    Who builds it as stated by the sources

    Operator / developerExxonMobil (Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd.), operator of Stabroek Block on behalf of the Guyana/ExxonMobil/Hess/CNOOC co-venture

    • ExxonMobiloperator / field developer
    • SBM OffshoreFPSO design, construction and (lease/operate) contractor for Jaguar, under its Fast4Ward standardised-hull programme

    Key dates as stated by the sources

    FID or award
    Contract awarded/firmed up 2024 (ExxonMobil FID on Whiptail, SBM contract)
    Startup target
    First production targeted end of 2027 (per Offshore/World Oil reporting, 2026)

    Disciplines likely needed our inference

    • topsides/piping engineering
    • E&I supervision
    • hook-up & commissioning
    • marine/offshore installation
    • HSE
    • project controls/planning

    Derived by us from project kind and phase - not stated by the sources below.

    Sources checked on 2026-10-08

    1. SBM Offshore Awarded Contracts for ExxonMobil Guyana's FPSO JaguarSBM Offshore (company newsroom) · 2024
    2. SBM Offshore to build FPSO Jaguar for ExxonMobil's Whiptail oil and gas project offshore GuyanaWorld Oil · 2024-04-18
    3. Offshore installation begins for Whiptail project's subsea systemBrazil Energy Insight (trade press) · 2026-07-29
    4. SBM Offshore Half Year 2026 EarningsSBM Offshore (company newsroom / half-year report PDF) · 2026-08-06
    5. Seatrium 1H2026 Results presentation (order book project table)Seatrium Limited (SGX filing) · 2026-07-31
    6. ExxonMobil lets SIMOPS management platform for WhiptailOil & Gas Journal · 2026-08-04

    Position on the globe: 9.50°N 57.00°W. Location approximate: Whiptail is the 6th Stabroek Block development, ~200 km offshore Guyana; exact FPSO mooring point not published in sources checked — coordinate is a Stabroek Block-area estimate.

    This project on its own page - facts, sources and a summary to share.

  4. 04 / 04Deepwater FPSO

    SEAP-I and SEAP-II FPSOs (P-81, P-87) — Sergipe-Alagoas basin

    Brazil

    Two more Fast4Ward-hull FPSOs entering SBM Offshore's record backlog right as Schiedam engineering ramps up.

    SizeCombined up to 240,000 bopd and 22 million m3/day gas; SEAP-II (P-87) alone: 120,000 bopd, 425 MMcfd gas treatment, 120,000 bpd water injection

    1. FID
    2. Engineering
    3. Fabrication
    4. Construction
    5. Installation
    6. Commissioning

    Phase, as reported: FIDs taken …

    Who builds it

    • Petrobras operator
    • SBM Offshore

    Reported risk Gas-export pipeline tender paused (September 2026)…

    7 sources checked on 2026-10-08

    Follow this project
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    Why we watch it

    Two more Fast4Ward-hull FPSOs entering SBM Offshore's record backlog right as Schiedam engineering ramps up — a multi-year pipeline of FPSO design, procurement and commissioning roles, on top of Jaguar and SBM's other current builds.

    Phase in full, as reported

    FIDs taken (SEAP-II late 2025, SEAP-I April 2026); SBM engineering and procurement started on both FPSOs (each <25% complete at H1 2026)

    Reported risk in full, as reported

    Gas-export pipeline tender paused (September 2026). Petrobras has 'taken a step back' on the ~US$1 bn tender to assess Brazil's planned 'gas release' rules, which its E&P director had warned in July 2026 could delay the pipeline: a risk to the 2031 gas-export date rather than, so far, to the FPSO schedule.

    Who builds it as stated by the sources

    Operator / developerPetrobras

    • Petrobrasoperator, FID holder
    • SBM Offshorebuild-operate-transfer contractor for both FPSOs; Petrobras will own the units, SBM operates for an initial 6.5 years

    Key dates as stated by the sources

    FID
    SEAP-II FID late 2025, SEAP-I FID April 2026; contracts signed by SBM Offshore late May 2026
    Startup target
    First oil targeted 2030, gas exports from 2031; SBM contractual handover SEAP-II (P-87) 2030, SEAP-I (P-81) 2031

    Disciplines likely needed our inference

    • topsides/process engineering
    • project engineering/management
    • procurement/estimating
    • E&I
    • commissioning (later phase)

    Derived by us from project kind and phase - not stated by the sources below.

    Sources checked on 2026-10-08

    1. SBM Offshore signed contracts for Petrobras' FPSOs SEAP-I and SEAP-IISBM Offshore (company newsroom) · 2026-05-29
    2. Petrobras takes FID on SEAP FPSO development in Brazil basinWorld Oil · 2026-04-14
    3. Petrobras bringing $12-billion oil & gas project pair to life with SBM Offshore on FPSO duty for bothOffshore Energy · 2026
    4. SBM Offshore Half Year 2026 EarningsSBM Offshore (company newsroom / half-year report PDF) · 2026-08-06
    5. Petrobras 'dá um passo atrás' na licitação do gasoduto de SEAP para avaliar impactos do gas release, diz BaruzziABEGÁS (republishing eixos) · 2026-09-29
    6. Gas release pode atrasar projeto do gasoduto de SEAP, diz Petrobraseixos · 2026-07-30
    7. R$ 60 bilhões, duas plataformas e 32 poços: megaprojeto da Petrobras avança em Sergipe, mas gasoduto bilionário fica em esperaClick Petróleo e Gás · 2026-10-03

    Position on the globe: 11.00°S 36.30°W. Location approximate: Sergipe-Alagoas basin, offshore northeastern Brazil (off Sergipe state); exact block coordinates not published in sources checked.

    This project on its own page - facts, sources and a summary to share.