The Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG Project’s floating production, storage and offloading facility (FPSO) was moored on Thursday in the Ichthys field, 220 kilometres off the north coast of Western Australia.
The massive 336-meter-long FPSO, named Ichthys Venturer, reached Australian waters in mid-August, following a journey from a shipyard in South Korea.
The vessel is longer than three soccer fields and is designed for 40 years of operations without dry dock.
“The safe and efficient mooring of the Ichthys Venturer in the 250-meter deep waters of the Ichthys Field heralds another successful milestone for the Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG Project,” Louis Bon , Managing Director Ichthys Project stated.
“Completing the complex operation of connecting 21 pre-installed mooring chains, weighing more than 15,000 tonnes, from the seabed to the FPSO is testament to the well-coordinated work of our personnel, including contractors and subcontractors from around the globe,” Bon said.
The FPSO has been designed to process and store most of the condensate delivered from the Ichthys LNG Project’s central processing facility, Ichthys Explorer, before periodically offloading it to carriers for export to market.
The Ichthys Venturer is moored 3.5 kilometres away from its sister offshore facility, Ichthys Explorer.
“Ichthys Venturer has a storage capacity of 1.12 million barrels of condensate and will have a continuous operating life of 40 years, setting new benchmarks for durability,” Bon advised.
“The FPSO will now undergo hook-up and commissioning to support the safe and reliable start-up of Ichthys Venturer’s operations,” Bon stated.