Ichthys on track as offshore facilities take shape
The INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project (the Project) is on track to achieving first gas by the end of 2016 with the first steel cutting today by Samsung Heavy Industries for what will be the world’s largest semi-submersible platform, according to media release.
The 150 metre by 110 metre large central processing facility (CPF) will displace 140,000 tonnes and will have a peak gas export rate of 1,657 MMscfd, making it the largest of its kind. The semi-submersible is being built by world-leading offshore construction company Samsung Heavy Industry, with Mustang as the Detailed Engineering subcontractor.
This steel cutting milestone marks the first step in the fabrication process. INPEX President Director Australia Seiya Ito was on Geoje Island in Korea today where the first steel plates for the hull were cut.
“This is one of the most exciting parts of the Project - the first materialisation of what has been many years of hard work; it’s when the design comes to life,” Mr Ito said.
“The hull size is nearly at the limit of what the biggest shipyards can build in their dry docks today. It will be moored by 28 mooring lines, representing more than 25,000 tonnes of anchor chain.
“Vicinay in Bilbao, Spain will supply the anchor chains for the mooring lines, together with an additional 15,000 tonnes of anchor chain for the Project’s floating production storage offloading (FPSO) vessel. The total represents more than the yearly worldwide production of large-scale anchor chains.”
Earlier this week on Tuesday 22 January another milestone was reached in Singapore, with the cutting of first steel for the turret of the FPSO vessel. The turret is the mooring point for the FPSO and the means by which it is able to weathervane in response to prevailing weather conditions. The FPSO will be capable of storing approximately 1.2 million barrels of condensate.
Mr Ito said both the CPF and FPSO will be world-class facilities.
“This has been a momentous week for the Ichthys LNG Project as it takes its first big step towards reaching its goal of watching the facilities sail from Geoje to Australia in late 2015,” Mr Ito said.
“We are thrilled to be on schedule to deliver first gas by the end of 2016.”
The Ichthys LNG Project is a Joint Venture between INPEX group companies, major partner TOTAL group companies and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Chubu Electric Power and Toho Gas. Gas from the Ichthys Field, in the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and raw liquids, including condensate. The gas will then be exported to the onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889km subsea pipeline. The Ichthys LNG Project is expected to produce 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak. Detailed Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of the Ichthys LNG Project is ongoing and production is scheduled to commence by the end of 2016.
INPEX CORPORATION is a worldwide oil and gas exploration and production company currently involved in more than 70 projects across 27 countries. INPEX is ranked in the top 100 global energy companies and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Part of the Australian business community since 1986, we are active in a number of projects in Australia and the Timor Sea, including the large-scale Ichthys LNG Project, Prelude FLNG project, Van Gogh, Ravensworth and Kitan oil projects, as well as the Bayu-Undan condensate development and associated Darwin LNG.