Abu Dhabi-based Dolphin Energy which transports natural gas to the United Arab Emirates is planning a maintenance shutdown at two of its offshore platforms in Qatar next February, a company advertisement said on Sunday.

Dolphin is seeking jack-up accommodation rigs to work on two of its offshore platforms during the shutdown, said the advertisement posted in Dubai-based newspaper Gulf News.

The firm issued a tender to hire the rigs for 28 days, with possible extensions of up to two months, it said. The bid closes at noon Qatar time on October 19, it added.

No one from Dolphin was available to comment.

The Dolphin gas pipeline project links Qatar's giant North Field with the UAE and Oman, and was the first cross-border gas project in the Gulf region. It pumps around 2 billion cubic feet per day to the UAE.

Mubadala Development Company, run by the Abu Dhabi government, owns 51 per cent of Dolphin, while Total and Occidental each have a 24.5 per cent stake.-Reuters