SEMAC-1 Kicks Off Ichthys LNG Pipelaying Gig

The semi-submersible pipelay barge SEMAC-1 has arrived to the Australian Northern Territory to commence work on the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project.

The arrival of the 188 metre-long Saipem-operated vessel at the Darwin Outer Port Limits signals the start of important work on the project’s 889 kilometre gas export pipeline (GEP) which will connect Bladin Point to the Ichthys Field in the Browse Basin.

“The gas export pipeline will deliver gas and some condensate from our offshore central processing facility to the Ichthys LNG Project onshore facilities at Bladin Point near Darwin so that it can be processed for export,” said Ichthys LNG Project Managing Director Louis Bon.

“The shallow water pipelay work means we are starting to physically connect our home base in Darwin to the Ichthys Field where our semi-submersible offshore facilities will be permanently moored for the life of the project.”

The SEMAC-1 is scheduled to be in Darwin Harbour for about four weeks. In total, the 164 kilometre shallow water pipelay installation is scheduled to take about 80 days.

Once completed, the SEMAC-1 will transfer work to Saipem’s deep water installation vessel, Castorone, which will lay the remaining 718 kilometres of pipe to the Ichthys Field.

International oil and gas contracting service provider Saipem is the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contractor for the Ichthys LNG Project’s GEP.