Ichthys Lng Project News

Workers on Shell Plc's Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility off Western Australia are set to begin 12 days of industrial action on Friday over a pay fight, a union alliance said on Thursday.Shell did not comment on what impact the mix of short work stoppages and bans on certain tasks, to run through June 21 might have on output at the 3.6 million-tonnes-a-year LNG facility."Shell recognizes the entitlement of all workers to exercise their rights, including the right to participate in industrial action," a Shell spokeswoman said in emailed comments.The action comes two months after Prelude resumed shipping LNG after a four-month shutdown due to a major power failure.The Offshore Alliance…

A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been floating off Australian waters for nearly two weeks as production at Ichthys project ramps up, industry sources told Reuters.The tanker 'Symphonic Breeze' has been moored at Darwin anchorage since April 17 after loading a cargo from the recently launched Ichthys LNG facility, shipping data from Refinitiv Eikon showed.The LNG cargo has already been sold to a North Asian buyer, who chose to lift it at a later date due to high inventory in its tanks, an industry source familiar with the matter said.The "floating cargo" situation has been part

Japanese energy company INPEX Corporation announced that the LNG Tanker Oceanic Breeze called for the first time at INPEX’s Naoetsu LNG Terminal located in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.The tanker has delivered a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG project in Australia.Oceanic Breeze is owned by Oceanic Breeze LNG Transport S. A. (OBLT), a joint venture between INPEX Shipping Co., Ltd. (INPEX Shipping) (30%) and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) (70%), and designated to transport the 0.9 million tons per year of Ichthys LNG entitled to INPEX.Oceanic Breeze’s transportation and delivery of Ichthys LNG to the Terminal marks a significant milestone in INPEX’s development of a global gas value chain business…

Japan's largest oil and gas exploration and production company INPEX Corporation has installed ClassNK-NAPA GREEN for monitoring operations on three of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.NAPA said that Inpex awarded a deal to the company for the provision of a solution for monitoring and follow-up of ship operations on two LNG carriers built to service the Ichthys project and one LNG carrier for Shell’s Prelude FLNG project.With the core motivation of accurately verifying the technical performance of these highly complex carriers, INPEX chose ClassNK-NAPA GREEN for the combination of NAPA’s LNG carrier design understanding and market leading performance monitoring software.The Oceanic Breeze…

The oil products tanker operated by Singapore-based NYK Bulkship (Asia) Challenge Peak  has shipped the first batch of plant condensate produced at the onshore gas liquefaction plant of the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project.According to a press release from the Japanese shipping and logistics company NYK (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha), the condensate was loaded from the gas liquefaction plant in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia, and the vessel departed for an Asian country on December 26.A joint venture among INPEX (the operator), oil major Total, and others, the Ichthys LNG Project is one of the largest LNG projects in the world…

Pacific Breeze, a 182,000 cu. m. capacity LNG carrier, is the world’s largest MOSS type LNG carrier ever constructed, built at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Japan (KHI). This capacity was achieved by extending the equatorial ring section of No. 3 and 4 cargo tanks by 1.6m in height from the conventional spherical shape, which increases approximately 5,000m3 from the second largest MOSS type LNG carrier constructed by KHI. Kawasaki Panel System was adopted for the thermal insulation system of the cargo tanks…

French oil and gas major Total said on Tuesday that the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from Australia's Ichthys LNG project has been exported following the production start-up at the end of July.Ichthys LNG, with reserves of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent offshore Western Australia, including around 500 million barrels of condensate, is operated by Japan's Inpex Corp with a 62.2 percent stake.Total is a major partner in the project with a 30 percent stake.(Reporting by Bate Felix, Editing by Sarah White)

Inpex Corp said on Monday it has begun producing gas at the $40 billion Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project off northern Australia, a major milestone for the long-delayed project."The project expects to begin the shipment of products towards the end of the first half of the current fiscal year," Inpex said in a statement. The first half ends in September.Condensate will be shipped first, followed by LNG, Inpex said.(Reporting by Sonali Paul)

Inpex said it expects to ship first cargo from its Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia by the end of September after safety issues have been resolved, maintaining an earlier schedule.Australian regulators had discovered safety issuess on the Ichthys offshore gas platform and was considering enforcement action.The Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG project carried out an inspection mainly on electrical equipment during the process of final safety verifications in cooperation with Australian regulators, in preparation for the start-up of production.

Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices rose this week to their highest since February as buying interest from China remained firm and as supply is expected to be limited during maintenance in August.Spot prices for July delivery in Asia were at $9.60 per million British thermal units (Btu) this week, gaining 40 cents from the previous week and are at the highest for this time of the year since 2014.Higher oil prices had been deterring some buyers from snapping up cargoes in the spot market in recent weeks but some of them may now need to cover their requirements promptly…

Interest for prompt spot cargoes still keen; demand could roll over to April. Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices rebounded this week as persistently cold weather in North Asia forced buyers to enter the spot market to replenish inventory. Spot prices for March <LSG-AS> delivery in Asia climbed 40 cents to $10.60 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) this week, according to several LNG traders in Asia. Cargoes for delivery in the first half of March are trading between $10.70 and $11 per mmBtu while cargoes for the second half of the month are trading at just above $10 a barrel, they said. Angola LNG sold a cargo for February at close to $11 per mmBtu to a Chinese company, traders said. The company has offered a March cargo as well.

A new vessel built for carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Ichthys LNG Project in Darwin, Australia to Naoetsu, Niigata has been named at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) Nagasaki Shipyard. The LNG carrier was named Oceanic Breeze by Toshiaki Kitamura, President of INPEX Corporation (INPEX), whose fully owned subsidiary INPEX Shipping Co., Ltd. will time-charter the ship. Oceanic Breeze, owned by Oceanic Breeze LNG Transport S.A. (OBLT), a 30/70 joint venture between Inpex Shipping and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

The world’s largest semi-submersible platform, the Ichthys Explorer, has been safely moored in the Ichthys Field, 220 kilometers off the north coast of Western Australia, where it will be located for 40 years, as part of the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project.   Bardex Corporation supplied four moveable Chain Jacks and 28 underwater Barlatches to support the handling of 28 mooring lines. The mooring operation was completed ahead of schedule with the assistance of Bardex lifecycle services. Bardex said the use of its Clump Weight contributed to the efficient mooring up operation.

Sparrows Group has been awarded a three-and-a-half-year extension to its inspection services contract for Stena Drilling’s global fleet of drilling vessels. The contract scope includes carrying out LOLER lifting gear surveys, potential dropped objects surveys, cargo carrying unit (CCU) and non-destructive testing (NDT) inspections as well as rig specific maintenance. As well as an extension to the contract, the scope has also been expanded to cover Stena’s entire fleet of seven vessels, including the Stena Don in Norway.

Svitzer has signed a contract with Sanmar to purchase a newbuild 80 tbp ASD escort tug for Southampton, U.K., strengthening its fleet to meet current and future customer requirements and reemphasizing its commitment to the port of Southampton. The new Sanmar-built Robert Allan-designed vessel – RAstar 2800 Class ASD Escort vessel – has been specifically chosen for her maneuverability and reliability. The tug will be named Svitzer Adira and will join the fleet in Southampton in early May.

Svitzer Americas’ newest vessels Svitzer Monte Cristi and Svitzer Catuan have been delivered by Turkish tug builder Sanmar. The boats, which will be operated in the Dominican Republic, are Ramparts 2400 SX class tugs, designed by Robert Allan Limited exclusively for Sanmar, and are known as the Bogaçay Class of which 30 have now been purchased by customers worldwide. The tugs measure 24.4m in length with a molded beam of 11.25m and an overall draft 5.7m. They are powered by pair of Caterpillar 3516 C main engines…

At this year’s Offshore Energy exhibition, global deck machinery specialist ACE Winches announced a new 500te Linear Winch to its range of specialized deck equipment. The company will showcase its range of products and services supplied to European clients operating within marine, renewables and oil and gas sectors. In recent months ACE Winches has delivered equipment and services for a number of key projects for European based companies, worth over £1.4 million. These projects have varied in type…

Members of Svitzer's management team visited both of Sanmar’s shipyards to monitor the progress of existing orders and discuss further existing contracts between the towage and emergency response firm and the Turkish shipbuilder. Svitzer ‘s chief technical officer, Kristian Brauner, and head of group newbuilding, Esben H Grundvig, were advised by Sanmar Managing Director Cem Seven that it was business as usual at both yards. The Svitzer team signed a new order for two 24-meter-long, 70-metric-ton bollard pull, Robert Allan Ltd,  Ramparts 2400 SX  design  Bogacay Class ASD tugs.

McDermott International, Inc. formally named its flagship Derrick Lay Vessel 2000 (DLV 2000) during a ceremony at the Keppel Singmarine Shipyard in Singapore. Brenda Cuthbertson, wife of 38-year McDermott employee and Asia Area Vice President Hugh Cuthbertson, served as the vessel’s godmother and named the DLV 2000 with the traditional breaking of champagne during the ceremony. The ceremony was attended by invited guests, McDermott and Keppel executives and employees and was followed by guided tours and lunch on the vessel.

Svitzer is ordering two more ASD tugs from Sanmar Shipyards to service the multi-billion dollar INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project in the Port of Darwin, Australia. The two newbuilds will be 80 Tonne bollard pull RAstar 2800 terminal tugs with escort ability and accommodation space for ten crew members. The tugs are equipped with render/recovery winch, aft winch, FIFI 1 and LNG package. take place in 2017. The two vessels will be employed together with two existing vessels to assist LNG, LPG and condensate carriers at the Port of Darwin starting late 2017. The newbuilds are also part of Svitzer’s promise to support the expected increase in operational activity within the Port of Darwin. As well as towage, the other services the tugs will be required to provide are: Safety standby i.e.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today took part in a naming ceremony for the newbuilding liquefied natural gas carrier LNG JUROJIN, which is co-owned by MOL and Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. at the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Among the many guests on hand were KEPCO President and Director Yagi, who named the new vessel, and his wife, who cut the rope. After delivery, the LNG JUROJIN will serve a broad range of LNG transport projects, including the Ichthys LNG Project. value-added LNG transport services tailored to the needs of customers, including electric power and gas companies in Japan. (9) Shipyard : Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding, Co., Ltd. (10) Ship management company : Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.

DNV GL has secured a contract to provide in-service verification and classification services to a range of facilities at the Ichthys LNG project in Australia. The contract marks INPEX’s commitment to continue working with DNV GL as it prepares to transition from the project execution phase to the operational phase of the mega project. DNV GL has provided vendor inspection, verification and offshore classification support to the USD 34 billion venture since 2012. This latest contract will see DNV GL continue its expert support to the project as it transitions into operation in 2017. The primary scope of work includes in-service verification of the Ichthys facilities…

SAL Heavy Lift GmbH, the leading Heavy Lift operator, has successfully completed a series of complex and sensitive shipments totalling more than 100,000frtts for the Ichthys LNG Project near Darwin, NT. SAL Heavy Lift was contracted by the Project’s freight forwarder SDV, Asia for five shipments performed on a consecutive basis from load-ports Sattahip, Masan, Busan and Shanghai. Each of the shipments contained individual items that tested both SAL’s engineering strength and the capabilities of the vessel. SAL’s type 176 MV REGINE with 2 x 700ts cranes (1,400ts lift cap in tandem), and open hatch capability together with a third aft mount crane of 350ts lift cap was selected as the ideal candidate to provide utmost flexibility, cost efficiency and safety to the project.