Turner & Townsend has won the contract to project manage the construction of a 340-mile, $1.55bn pipeline in the Horn of Africa.

The pipeline will transport 240,000 barrels of jet fuel, diesel and gasoline from the port of Djibouti to Awash, near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. It is intended to ease pressure on the current supply route, which currently requires 500 tanker trucks a day to drive along a narrow, two-lane highway.

The project includes the creation of an import facility and a buffer storage tank farm in Damerjog, Djibouti, which will be linked to a storage terminal and truck loading facility in Awash.

The pipeline is being developed by Black Rhino MOGS, a joint venture between the infrastructure investment company Black Rhino Group and South African-based Mining, Oil & Gas Services.

Turner & Townsend will provide full project control services, including estimating, cost, schedule, risk and change management, performance measurement, reporting and document control, as well as contracts administration and procurement management.

The project is currently in the set-up phase, with detailed design and procurement due to take place over the coming months.

Mark Haselau, director at Turner & Townsend, said: “We’ve been guiding and supporting Black Rhino MOGS on this critically important project since its inception. As this is a cost-driven project, the developers require an end-to-end solution delivered on time and on budget.

“The challenge lies in overcoming the logistical, infrastructural and regulatory issues presented on the African continent – including the physical importation and transportation of materials to the many sites and laydown areas along the pipeline’s route.

“However, once completed the project will play an essential role in meeting the rising demand for fuel from Ethiopia’s fast-growing economy – as well as increasing energy security and reducing harmful emissions across the region.”