Inpex: Ichthys LNG’s CPF arrives in Australian waters

Inpex informed the central processing facility (CPF) for the Ichthys LNG project, the Ichthys Explorer, arrived in Australian waters on Monday. 

The CPF weighing 120,000 tons and with topsides measuring 130 meters by 120 meters, reached her final destination, 220 kilometers off the north coast of Western Australia, where she will be located for 40 years, Inpex said.

“The safe completion of the 5,600-kilometer tow of the Ichthys Explorer from South Korea to the Ichthys Field, located 450 kilometers north of Broome, is another significant milestone for the Ichthys LNG project,” Louis Bon, managing director, Ichthys project stated.

The tow operation from South Korea to the Australian waters took 34 days, Bon said adding that the hook up commissioning will start once the Ichthys Explorer is moored in the 250-metre deep waters of the Ichthys field.

The CPF is the central hub for initial offshore processing of all the well fluids delivered from a 130-kilometre network of subsea well infrastructure.

Gas from the CPF will be sent through an 890-kilometre subsea pipeline to the onshore LNG facility, at Bladin Point, near Darwin for processing.

Most condensate and water from the CPF will be transferred to a nearby floating production, storage and offloading facility (FPSO), the Ichthys Venturer.