Northern Australia News

Shipbuilding group Austal Limited announces that Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy.The A$157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on November 23, 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered to the Navy, under the SEA1445-1 Project, to ten.Austal Limited Chief…

FPSO leasing company BW Offshore said Thursday that the hull of BW Opal, one of the largest FPSO hulls ever built and destined for Santos' Barossa gas project in Australia, had set sail from a yard in South Korea and was en route to Singapore for topside integration."On October 28, 2023, at 11:30 local time, the newbuild hull for the BW Opal FPSO, which is based on BW Offshore’s RapidFramework concept, started tow from the SK Oceanplant (SKOP) yard in South Korea, to the integration shipyard in Singapore…

Australia said a security review of a 99-year lease held by Chinese company Landbridge on the northern port of Darwin, a key focus of its defense strategy, found it was "not necessary to vary or cancel the lease".In a statement, the prime minister's department said: "Australians can have confidence that their safety will not be compromised, while ensuring that Australia remains a competitive destination for foreign investment".It added that monitoring of security arrangements would continue around the northern port…

A report into the security of Western Australia's supply chains has recommended policy and regulatory reforms to support Australian-owned shipping lines competing for domestic sea-freight work.The recommendation has been made in a report by the Western Australian (WA) Government's Shipping and Supply Chain Taskforce. Co-chaired by Kyle McGinn and Jessica Stojkovski, the Taskforce was established following the floods in South Australia in early 2022 that cut off supplies of essential…

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has selected a team of naval architecture and engineering firms to design its new state-of-the-art research vessel. The design team, led by U.S.-based Glosten, includes One2three Naval Architects from Sydney and Maritime Survey Australia (MSA) from Melbourne.The new vessel will be bigger and more capable than its predecessor, with a larger working deck, room for more scientists on board, and the ability to act as a multi-technology and sensor platform, coordinating a range of autonomous systems.

Shipbuilder Austal Australia announced it has launched the second of six Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).The 58-metre aluminum monohull patrol boat was launched following 18 months of construction at the company’s shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said it was very fitting that  Assistant Minister for Defense Andrew Hastie MP officially launched the vessel, which is one…

Offshore safety equipment provider VIKING has said it has won a contract with FPSO supplier BW Offshore to deliver has selected VIKING Norsafe free-fall lifeboats, daughter craft, and davits for a large FPSO project which will operate off northern Australia.While VIKING did not share the exact name of the FPSO project, this is most likely the Barossa FPSO BW Offshore is building for deployment at Santos' Barossa project.The safety equipment provider said that the primary means of evacuation from the FPSO will be three VIKING Norsafe GES-50 Mk.

The investment outlook for liquefied natural gas (LNG) has improved this year but project go-aheads will not match the bonanza of 2019, as the fight against climate change clouds the prospects for gas demand growth longer term.Renewed optimism as the industry emerges from the pandemic, rapidly rebounding oil and gas prices and a better economic outlook is building confidence in short and long term LNG demand in Asia and spurring companies to look at new LNG projects, most of which were shelved last year when prices slumped.However, they need to take into account the ever tighter carbon emissio

Melanie Olsen is harnessing 10 years of missile defense and electronic warfare systems expertise to drive rapid technological innovation in marine research and monitoring. Today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the AIMS Team Leader for Technology Development Engineering shares her unique journey.Growing up in a third-generation farming family near the small settlement of El Arish in north Queensland, Melanie Olsen thought engineers were train drivers.When a James Cook University engineering lecturer visited her small rural high school with a quad helicopter…

Sealink Travel Group has taken delivery of Coolgaree Cat, a newly built passenger vessel developed specifically for the Palm Island and Magnetic Island runs, operated from Townsville in Queensland, Northern Australia. The new ferry was handed over from Australian builder Aluminium Marine earlier this month ahead of its official entry into service this past weekend.The 32-meter catamaran was developed by marine engineering design firm Incat Crowther in close conjunction with the operator Sealink to offer a number of improvements over those currently in service on the run.

Shipbuilder Austal Australia has been awarded a A$324 million (US$209.8 million) contract to design and construct six evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (CCPBs) for the Royal Australian Navy.It is the largest contract for an Australian vessel construction program ever awarded to Austal in the company’s 30-year history.The six new vessels, to be constructed at Austal’s Henderson shipyard in Western Australia, will add to the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) existing fleet of two CCPB’s delivered in 2017 and further extends Austal’s Cape-class Patrol Boat program to a total of 18 vessels.

Australia's Pilbara Ports Authority has short-listed two respondents interested in investing to build and operate a new general cargo facility at the Port of Port Hedland.Located at Lumsden Point, at the south eastern end of the inner harbour, the development can accommodate a logistics hub, general cargo wharves and cargo lay down areas.Environmental approval for the development was obtained in 2014 and Pilbara Ports Authority has since invested more than $80 million in land remediation, dredging and reclamation works at Lumsden Point.Pilbara Ports Authority has consulted with The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) and…

Royal Dutch Shell expects production at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) unit to start at the end of the year, a spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday."We continue to progress Prelude towards operations, with safety and quality being our main focus ... We expect to see production around the end of the year," she told Reuters in an emailed statement.Prelude - which will process natural gas produced offshore northern Australia and export it as LNG - is expected to have an annual LNG production capacity of 3.6 million tonnes.

A landmark celebration has officially opened the onshore LNG processing facilities of INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG – one of the largest and most complex resource developments in the world.Japanese, Australian and Northern Territory government representatives unveiled a plaque to commemorate four decades of future benefits Ichthys LNG will bring to the Northern Territory, Australia, Japan and the region.Symbolising the collaboration inherent in global enterprises on the scale of Ichthys LNG, Mr Hiroshige Sekō, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon. Matthew Canavan, Australian Minister for Resources and Northern Australia and The Hon.

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)

Royal Dutch Shell has introduced gas to its 490 meter (1,600 ft) long Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit as part of the cooling process before start-up, a spokeswoman told Reuters on Wednesday.Gas was fed to the unit from liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Gallina, she said.

Shell aims to start exports from Prelude LNG this year; Inpex hopes to commence shipments from Ichthys LNG. Shell and Inpex are on the final stretch of a years-long race to export gas from offshore northern Australia, where both have spent billions of dollars building the world's biggest maritime vessels to grab a slice of Asia's booming LNG market. Anglo-Dutch energy major Royal Dutch Shell and Inpex, Japan's biggest oil and gas producer, are vying for first gas from two overlapping fields after delays and cost overruns that have plagued both projects. The pair have spent billions on offshore facilities, including Shell's 490 metre (1,600 ft) long Prelude floating liquefied natural gas unit and Inpex's Ichthys Explorer semi-submersible platform, both the world's largest of their class.

HMAS Darwin has completed her final port visit to Darwin, farewelling the city by exercising the right to Freedom of Entry and showcasing her capability to thousands of locals. The six-day port visit included a ceremonial gun salute on arrival, the Freedom of Entry parade, an open day and various public performances by the Royal Australian Navy Band. Commanding Officer Darwin, Commander Phillip Henry, said the ship’s company were overwhelmed and deeply grateful to the community for the support they had received. “We are very proud to sail Darwin and we do so with respect for the officers and sailors who have served in this vessel before us,” Commander Henry said. “The support we saw from the Darwin community is a reminder to all of us why we work so hard to serve this country.

Austal Australia was joined by Warren Entsch, Federal Member for Leichardt, to officially open its vessel sustainment office in Cairns, the latest effort in the expansion of Austal’s national footprint. The shipbuilder said its new Cairns sustainment facilities will employ nearly 30 people to support the Austal-built Cape Class fleet for the Australian Border Force and the Royal Australian Navy and the future Pacific Patrol Boats (PPB) that Austal is currently building for the Australian Government.

Once considered the future of gas production, floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) projects have been firmly relegated to the backburner as global gas producers seek cheaper ways to compete with a surge in U.S. shale supplies and slumping prices. FLNG projects - mega tankers fitted with gas extraction and liquefaction facilities - allow producers to tap offshore gas wells and ship LNG without having to build costly pipelines to onshore plants. Owners can move the vessels to new fields when production at an old one ends, slashing asset end-of-life costs.

Warships, submarines and aircraft from all over the country are converging on Bass Strait for the final week of Exercise OCEAN RAIDER, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s largest maritime warfare activities. HMAS Adelaide lead six ships south from Sydney, while HMAS Warramunga and two submarines sailed from Western Australia. HMAS Darwin is also en route after completing her disaster relief duties in New Zealand. Under the exercise scenario, the assets will be split into two forces on arrival and then commence a series of free play war games. Commander Mark Sirois is the Commanding Officer of HMAS Newcastle, one of the guided missile frigates sailing to the strait with Adelaide.

The crew of the Huon class minehunter HMAS Yarra has paid a rare port call to the Indonesian trade centre of Makassar. Yarra was the first Royal Australian Navy vessel to visit Makassar since the opening of the Australian mission in the city this March. Australia is South Sulawesi’s second largest source of imports with goods worth US$135.6 million. As the gateway to Eastern Indonesia, Makassar is one of the Indonesian region’s most important maritime trade and cultural centres. While Indonesian port visits are becoming increasingly common for Australian Navy vessels, few if any of Yarra’s crew had ever visited Makassar before. “Several of the crew have previously visited other Indonesian ports primarily Bali,” Commanding Officer HMAS Yarra, Lieutenant Commander Jason McBain said.

Decommissioned Australian naval vessels ex-HMA Ships Tobruk and Sydney,will be offered for the creation of dive wrecks, announced Defense Minister Senator Marise Payne. After decades of invaluable service in the Royal Australian Navy, Tobruk and Sydney were decommissioned in July 2015 and November 2015 respectively. Tobruk was used extensively during regional peacekeeping and humanitarian operations as well as border protection in Northern Australia. Sydney was deployed to the Persian Gulf on five occasions in support of operations during the Gulf War…