Northern Territory News

Offshore installation contractor Allseas has made progress on the installation of the pipeline for Santos’ Barossa Gas Export Pipeline (GEP) project offshore Australia.Allseas’ Audacia pipelay vessel has installed her largest ever PLET in S-mode, concluding several years of in-house engineering, fabrication and testing, the Swiss-based contractor said.Due to the weight of the pipeline end termination structure, Allseas’ production crew had to install it separately to the connector head.Audacia vessels is being supported with four other vessels - Fortitude…

Australia’s Department of Agriculture (DAFF) has stated that testing has returned negative results for Lumpy Skin Disease and Foot and Mouth Disease, after over 150 cattle died on a voyage to Indonesia on Vroon’s Brahman Express.Australia has received confirmation from the Indonesian authorities that the export of live cattle from a particular registered establishment in the Northern Territory has been suspended pending further investigations to determine the cause of the deaths.The department continues to investigate…

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…

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…

Carnival's Seabourn brand has taken delivery of its second purpose-built, ultra-luxury expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, during an official handover ceremony at the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, Italy. The "yacht like" small ship is designed and built for remote, diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards and includes modern hardware and technology that extend the ship's global deployment and capabilities and allows the line to offer a wide range of expedition activities led by an expert 24-person expedition team of scientists…

A tropical cyclone smashed into Australia's northwest coast as a category 5 storm, setting new wind speed records, but has largely spared populated regions including the world's largest iron ore export hub at Port Hedland, authorities said on Friday. Cyclone Ilsa made landfall early Friday morning with the highest intensity rating on a 1-to 5 scale and then moved inland as emergency crews urged several remote communities along the storm's path to seek shelter and remain indoors."Port Hedland ... escaped the brunt of the cyclone at this stage.

Austal Limited is pleased to announce Austal Australia has delivered the fourth of eight Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) to the Royal Australian Navy. The vessel, ADV Cape Capricorn, was officially accepted by the Commonwealth of Australia.Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the delivery of the fourth ECCPB highlighted Austal’s consistency in production and efficiencies at the Henderson shipyard.“Austal has now delivered four Evolved Capes to the Royal Australian Navy since the contract was signed in May 2020 and we are launching a new vessel every three months…

Chevron Corporation and Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) have signed an agreement to study the feasibility of transporting liquefied carbon dioxide from Singapore to permanent storage locations offshore Australia. Chevron New Energies International Pte. Ltd, the U.S. oil major's subsidiary, and MOL will explore the technical and commercial feasibility of initially transporting up to 2.5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied carbon dioxide by 2030, Chevron said in a statement on Thursday.It is the latest foray by Chevron…

The Australian Department of Defense will order an additional two Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) for the Royal Australian Navy from shipbuilder Austal for $124 million. The two new vessels are in addition to the six Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats that are currently being delivered by Austal Australia for the Royal Australian Navy.The announcement was made during a visit by Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, to Austal's Henderson Western Australia shipyard.

Australia on Tuesday said it would lift its entry ban for international cruise ships next month, effectively ending all major COVID-related travel bans after two years and boosting a tourism industry hit hard by the pandemic restrictions.Australia banned the entry of cruise ships in March 2020, when they were the source of about 20% of Australia's early coronavirus infections. The vessels became a flashpoint in its pandemic response after symptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney…

Australia is reviewing the 99-year lease of a commercial and military port in the country's north to a Chinese firm, a government source said on Monday, a move that could further inflame tensions between Beijing and Canberra.Australia overhauled its foreign investment laws late last year, giving the government the retrospective power to impose new conditions or even force a divestment on deals that have already been approved.Defense officials are looking into whether the Landbridge Group…

Shipbuilder Austal Australia has launched the first of two Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG), under construction at the company’s Henderson, Western Australia shipyard.Under a A$126 million contract awarded by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT), Austal is constructing two 58 meter Cape-class Patrol Boats for the TTCG, scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2021.“With 10 vessels already in operation with the Australian Border Force and Royal Australian Navy…

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.

Austal signed an agreement with the United States Navy which will see its Henderson shipyard conduct repairs and sustainment activities on USN and Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships.With the Agreement of Boat Repair (ABR) now in place, Austal’s Australian operations may now bid to provide emergent repair services to deployed USN ships, including the Austal designed and constructed Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).The ABR also allows Austal to bid for maintenance and repair of MSC ships deployed to the region, to include the Austal designed and constructed Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessels.Austal Chief Executive David Singleton said the approval from the U.S.

Flowserve Corporation (FLS), a provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, has entered into a five-year contract with Shell Australia to provide general maintenance services for Shell’s Prelude Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) facility, which is producing natural gas from an offshore field in Western Australia.A press release from the American multinational corporation said that it will support Prelude from its recently refurbished Quick Response Center (QRC) in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory.Flowserve QRCs are dedicated maintenance, repair and manufacturing workshop facilities that provide customers with responsive, local support.

The United States is planning to build additional military infrastructure in Australia once Congress gives approval to the U.S. Navy for $211.5 million, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday.The plans for a bigger U.S. footprint in Australia come at a time when the Western allies have become increasingly concerned by China's efforts to expand its influence in the Pacific."The development of facilities will support the Force Posture Initiatives," Payne told Sky News…

World's largest solar project proposed in Australia, connected to South East Asia via subsea cable.Singapore-based Sun Cable has proposed a 10 GW solar farm near Tenant Creek in Australia, with facilities to export electricity via a subsea High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable straight to Singapore.Rystad Energy said that the proposed renewable energy project will provide one fifth of Singapore’s electricity needs.In terms of size, the only solar project of a similar scale in Australia is the Asian Renewable Energy Hub which plans to supply a regional load to the Pilbara region, as well as green hydrogen for both international and…

Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate Damen Group announced that Damen Dredging Equipment has delivered CSD500-S, a fully customised cutter dredger for acidic environment,  to Australian customer, Energy Resources of Australia (ERA)."The Cutter Suction Dredger (CSD), which has been named the Brolga I, will work in an acidic environment with a pH of approximately 3 for which a wide array of adaptations have been incorporated," it said in a press release.The dredger has been shipped to Antwerp, where it was loaded on board a transport vessel bound for the north of Australia. It will arrive at the Ranger Mine in Jabiru in the Northern Territory at the end of May.The CSD500-S is based on the Damen standard vessel type…

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…

Royal Dutch Shell's  Shell Australia said Wednesday it entered into a sales agreement with Timor-Leste to sell the government a 26.56% interest in the Greater Sunrise fields for $300 million.The Greater Sunrise fields, comprised of the Sunrise and Troubadour gas and condensate fields, are located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southeast of Timor-Leste and 450 kilometers (279 miles) northwest of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Shell said in a statement.Timor-Leste's Special Representative Xanana Gusmão stated that "Timor-Leste appreciates Shell's willingness to sell its interests in the Greater Sunrise project".Gusmão recalled that…

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.

Shipbuilder Damen said it has delivered the third and fourth units in a four-vessel contract to leading towage company Smit Lamnalco. All four vessels are Damen’s ASD Tug 3212 class with a bollard pull of 80 metric tons. The order was placed in November 2017 and, with stock boats available, the first two were delivered in June and these latest arrivals in October.The SL Thunggun and SL Irrong have arrived at Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory and will shortly be heading east to the Weipa bauxite mine on the Cape York Peninsular, Queensland.

The Royal Australian and United States navies have proven a potent and agile force when operating together during the opening phases of Exercise TALISMAN SABER 17, which took place in the Northern Territory. HMA Ships Ballarat, Melbourne, Broome and Bathurst conducted four days of high-end warfare exercises with USS John S. McCain off the coast of Darwin, proving their ability to detect, track and engage surface, submarine, and air targets. Advanced air warfare serials were supported by the Royal Australian Air Force’s Classic and Super Hornets and the US Marine Corps’ F/A-18s. The warships conducted a wide range of training exercises including Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres…