Dutch firm Heerema Marine Contractors said it has secured a contract with Inpex to provide transport and installment of the booster compression module for the Ichthys LNG export project offshore Australia.
Under the deal, Heerema would install the 4,800 metric ton LNG booster compression module on the Ichthys explorer central processing facility, extending the production plateau of the field, it said in a statement.
The Dutch company will transport the BCM from the fabrication yard on Batam Island in Indonesia to the Ichthys field before installing it in a single lift.
Heerema will use its 2019-built semi-submersible crane vessel, Sleipnir, for both the transport and installation of the module.
The vessel has a 20,000 metric ton lifting capacity which makes it possible to optimize the BCM’s design due to the vessel’s ability to install the structure in a single lift, Heerema said.
According to the firm, this action reduces the time required for platform shutdown, offshore installation, and hook-up duration and minimizes the project’s risk.
The installment of the module is part of the LNG project’s phase 2 development.
Heerema did not reveal the financial details of the contract.
The firm has previously provided its services to the Inpex-led Ichthys LNG export project.
In 2016, McDermott selected Heerema to perform diverse transportation and installation work on the project.
McDermott contract
Last year, Houston-based McDermott said it had secured a new contract for the Ichthys BCM.
It marked the third contract McDermott won for the project after successfully completing FEED services and converting contracts to EPCI.
Moreover, McDermott’s EPC scope involves the booster compression module which will extend the production from the gas reservoir to the central processing facility.
The Ichthys project produces LNG at the 8.9 million tonnes per year plant at Bladin Point near Darwin.
Natural gas arrives in Darwin from the giant Ichthys field offshore Western Australia via an 890-kilometer export pipeline.
Ichthys LNG is a joint venture between operator Inpex and major partner France’s Total.
Other partners include Australian units of CPC Corporation Taiwan, Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric Power, JERA and Toho Gas.
