This story requires a subscription
This includes a single user license.
Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal on Sunday denied a request by Inpex to stop industrial action at the Ichthys LNG project.
Inpex also said that it has prepared an updated offer as part of the bargaining process for a new enterprise agreement.
The Offshore Alliance, which includes the Maritime Union of Australia and Australian Workers’ Union, said in a social media post that its members across the Inpex facilities will continue to strike until a new agreement has been reached.
“Despite these ongoing discussions, further protected industrial action has been notified today by the unions to extend the current period of industrial action at Ichthys LNG to July 6, 2026,” Inpex senior vice president corporate, Bill Townsend, told LNG Prime in emailed comments on Tuesday.
“While mitigation efforts are underway, we anticipate imminent disruption to production at both onshore and offshore Ichthys LNG facilities, he said.
“In the context of current global fuel supply constraints, the disruption is expected to be significant,” Townsend said.
He added that Inpex “remains focused on maintaining safe operations at Ichthys LNG – and importantly, is making every effort to ensure reliable energy supply to the Northern Territory and our key trading partners in the Indo-Pacific region amid ongoing global market disruption.”
Ichthys LNG
Last year, Ichthys LNG accounted for 8 percent of both Japan and Taiwan’s respective LNG import volumes, delivered via long-term sales and purchase agreements, according to Inpex.
The facility shipped 112 LNG cargoes in 2025. It shipped 43 LNG cargoes in the first four months of this year, up by two shipments compared to the year before.
Ichthys LNG is a joint venture between operator Inpex and major partner TotalEnergies.
In 2024, Inpex also purchased a small stake in Ichthys LNG from compatriot Tokyo Gas to boost its stake from 66.245 percent to 67.82 percent.
Besides TotalEnergies, other partners in the Ichthys project include Australian units of CPC, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric Power, Jera, and Toho Gas.
Natural gas arrives to the LNG plant at Bladin Point, near Darwin, from the giant Ichthys field offshore Western Australia via an 890-kilometer-long export pipeline.