Prelude Floating LNG Vessel Arrives In Australia

Shell’s 488-m (1,601-ft) long Prelude floating LNG (FLNG) vessel has arrived offshore Australia at the Prelude Field, where next steps include hookup and commissioning after the vessel is secured with 16 prepositioned mooring chains, the company said.

Four anchor piles, constructed by West Australian-based CIVMEC, will hold each mooring chain to the seafloor.

The arrival marks a milestone for Shell’s first deployment of its FLNG technology. The facility will produce 3.6 mtpa of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate and 0.4 mpta of LPG from the Prelude Field, located about 475 km (295 miles) offshore Western Australia.

“Seven production wells will feed gas and condensate from the reservoirs via four flexible risers into the facility. All subsea connections join the facility via the turret. The turret’s swivel design enables the facility to pivot according to wind and sea conditions while it remains fixed to the sea floor,” Shell said on its website. “The Prelude FLNG facility has thrusters to ensure it remains steady during production and offloading, but it is a fixed facility, with no means of propulsion. The management of subsea wells and manifolds is carried out via umbilicals connected through the turret to the control room on the facility.”

In a news release, Shell Australia Chairman Zoe Yujnovich described the arrival of Prelude as a new era for the Australian LNG export industry. “Prelude’s arrival is a clear demonstration of Shell’s longstanding commitment to investment and development in Australia—delivering significant economic benefits to the nation,” Yujnovich said.

The Prelude project will employ 260 local workers onboard the facility during operations and create more than 1,500 jobs during the project’s hookup and commissioning phase of the project, the release said. Shell said it expects to see cash flow from the project in 2018.

Ichthys Venturer Sets Sail En Route To Browse Basin

Ichthys Venturer, the FPSO facility for the Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG project, has started its estimated one-month journey to Australia’s Browse Basin after sailing away from waters near its South Korean construction site.

After traveling 5,600 km (3,480 miles) to its destination offshore Western Australia, Inpex said the facility will be permanently moored in 250-m (820-ft) deep water. There, it will undergo hookup and commissioning with the Ichthys Explorer central processing facility (CPF), located 3.5 km (2.2 miles) away. The FPSO facility will process and store condensate delivered from the CPF before periodically offloading it for export via carrier vessels.

“The Ichthys Venturer has been designed to withstand cyclonic conditions and is one of the largest and most advanced offshore facilities of its kind in the world,” said Louis Bon, managing director for the project. “Ichthys Venturer has a storage capacity of 1.12 million barrels of condensate and will have a continuous operating life of 40 years, setting new benchmarks for durability.”

SOFEC Wins Coral South Turret Mooring System Supply Contract

SOFEC Inc., a MODEC Group company, has scooped up the turret mooring system supply contract for the Eni-operated Coral South floating LNG (FLNG) project offshore Mozambique, according to a news release.

Under the contract, the mooring solutions specialist will be responsible for all engineering, procurement and construction activities for the internal turret mooring system and its ancillary components. The project is led by the joint venture of TechnipFMC and JGC Corp.

SOFEC also will assist in turret integration and offshore commissioning activities in Mozambique, the release said. Project delivery includes the turret mooring systems—which comprise the mooring legs, mechanical connectors and anchor piles—and fluid transfer systems, which include piping, swivels, safety and controls.

Designed to produce 3.4 million tonnes per annum of LNG, the Coral South FLNG facility will be moored in a water depth of 2,000 m (6,562 ft) in Mozambique’s Area 4.

—Staff Reports