PHOTO: Ichthys CPF now storm-safe

Japan’s Inpex has reached another milestone at its giant Ichthys gas field development offshore Australia.

Following the recent arrival of the Ichthys Central Processing Facility at the offshore location, 220 kilometers off the north coast of Western Australia, Inpex has now informed that the massive platform has now been storm-safe moored at the field.

In a separate statement, Aqualis Offshore said that the Ichthys Explorer, as the unit is named, has been secured with eight anchors in total – two in each corner – to make it storm safe. Aqualis was managing the position keeping procedure and provided position keeping masters offshore while the CPF was being secured.

According to Aqualis, once the full mooring is completed, the CPF will be moored with a 28-point spread mooring system with chain-wire rope-chain line make-up attached to driven anchor piles.

The CPF is the central hub for initial offshore processing of all well fluids delivered from an extensive, 130-kilometers network of subsea well infrastructure.

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

Aqualis Offshore’s Singapore office has provided the services as a sub-supplier to POSH Terasea Offshore Pte Ltd, who also managed the 5,600-kilometer towage of the Ichthys Explorer from Geoje, South Korea, to the Ichthys field.

“To be involved with the station keeping of what is considered the world’s largest semisubmersible platform is something every team member is very proud of. More importantly is that the entire job went according to plan,” says Phil Lenox, director – Asia Pacific, Aqualis Offshore.

POSH Terasea Offshore Pte Ltd has also awarded Aqualis Offshore the contract to provide position keeping services for the coming offshore installation of the Ichthys FPSO.

The CPF and the FPSO will be permanently moored for 40 years of operation in the Ichthys field.