The offshore and onshore sections of the 890 kilometer gas export pipeline for the Inpex-led Ichthys LNG project have been welded together in Darwin on Wednesday.
Joining the two pipeline sections—882 kilometers offshore and eight kilometers onshore—means the pipeline is now ready to deliver gas from the offshore Ichthys field to the project’s onshore facilities at Bladin Point near Darwin for processing, the company informed.
The 42-inch diameter pipeline is the longest subsea pipeline in the southern hemisphere and the third longest subsea pipeline in the world, Inpex said in a press statement.
“We are very pleased with the overall safety performance during the pipeline manufacturing, construction and installation processes spanning more than four years,” said Louis Bon , Ichthys project managing director.
“Building the pipeline involved multiple movements of 73,000 individual 42 inch diameter, concrete coated pipe joints, with each pipe joint weighing approximately 26 tonnes.
“Today’s milestone means we are one step closer to physically connecting our onshore plant near Darwin to our offshore facilities which will be permanently moored in the Ichthys field for the 40-year life of the project,” Bon added.