Offshore helicopter operator PHI International (PHI) has said it has won "a significant" aviation services contract with Woodside, as an operator for and on behalf of the Scarborough Joint Venture, in Western Australia.
The contract will see PHI transporting personnel from Learmonth Airport, near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia, to offshore sites in the Carnarvon Basin off the Northwest coast of Australia.
Woodside, Australia’s leading natural gas producer, has selected PHI to fulfill the 2–3-year contract in support of the Scarborough project, located approximately 375 kilometers west-north-west of the Burrup Peninsula.
The Scarborough development includes the installation of a floating production unit, as well as an approximately 430-kilometer pipeline to transport gas from the Scarborough field to a second LNG train at the existing Pluto LNG onshore facility.
PHI said that the contract would be delivered from an operating base in Exmouth, utilizing a fleet of three offshore transport configured Sikorsky S-92 Helicopters to provide daily passenger transport and 24/7 aviation support services. The contract will start in 2023.
Back in November, Woodside and BHP gave their final approvals to spend $12 billion to develop the Scarborough gas field off Western Australia and expand the Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, with the first cargo expected in 2026.