The Australian Government has picked Dubai-headquartered engineering and services company Kent to support the permanent plugging and abandonment (P&A) of an oilfield duo in the Timor Sea, offshore Australia.
Under the initial two-year technical advisory services contract, Kent’s multidisciplinary team of technical and regulatory experts is set to provide strategic and operational support throughout the planning and execution of the decommissioning phase at the Laminaria-Corallina fields.
According to the Dubai-based player, the contract for decommissioning also includes advisory services for the safe removal of associated subsea infrastructure. The fields are located about 550 kilometers west-north-west of Darwin and 160 kilometers south of Timor.
“We are proud to continue supporting the safe and responsible transition of offshore assets, prioritising environmental outcomes and technical integrity at every stage. Our advisory team, with deep roots in Australia and the UK, is energised by this opportunity to help shape the future of offshore decommissioning,” said Michael Costello , Executive Vice President – Development, APAC & Americas at Kent.
The government of Australia was left with the task of removing the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Northern Endeavour and rehabilitating the Laminaria-Corallina fields after the owner, Northern Oil & Gas Australia (NOGA), went into liquidation in 2019. NOGA bought the ageing oil fields from Woodside Petroleum and Talisman Energy in 2016.
Kent is already providing support for the decommissioning of Northern Endeavour, which will be done in three stages. The 274-meter-long FPSO was permanently moored between the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields and connected to nine oil wells on the sea floor for more than two decades before being disconnected in April.
In late June, Modern American Recycling Services, Europe (MARS) won the tender to recycle the FPSO and manage the waste streams, including hazardous waste. COSCO Shipping Heavy Transport will dry tow the FPSO to MARS’ ship recycling facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark using its semi-submersible heavy transport vessel, the Hua Rui Long .