Ichthys LNG offshore pipelay complete

Ichthys LNG operator, Inpex, said on Thursday that the offshore pipelay for the project’s gas export pipeline is completed.

The work on the 42-inch diameter pipeline began in June 2014, and at 890 kilometers it is the longest subsea pipeline in the southern hemisphere and the third longest in the world, according to Inpex.

It will deliver gas from the Ichthys gas-condensate field to the onshore facilities at Bladin Point near Darwin for processing.

The pipeline has been installed by Saipem’s Semac and Castorone barges from Darwin to the Ichthys field.

Inpex said it will conduct other necessary work on the pipeline in preparation for operational start-up.

The Japanese company announced in September that it has postponed production start-up at its Ichthys LNG project until the third quarter of 2017, from the end of 2016.

Inpex will also raise the project’s annual LNG production capacity by approximately 6% to 8.9 MTPA from the initially planned 8.4 MTPA.

The Ichthys project is a joint venture between Inpex, major partner Total, CPC Corporation and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Kansai Electric, Chubu Electric Power and Toho Gas.

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LNG World News Staff; Image: Inpex