Italian offshore services company Saipem has received an approval from the Australian regulator NOPSEMA to restart pipelaying operations at Woodside’s Scarborough gas field, following an offshore trunkline installation incident in late January 2024.
Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) granted permission for Saipem’s Castorone vessel to return to pipelaying operations offshore Australia following the investigation into the trunkline incident that happened on January 30.
During the offshore operation, localized damage to the trunkline was sustained, with no injuries to personnel nor the Castorone pipelaying vessel.
“Saipem is working closely with its client for a restart of the pipelaying operations, with safety as the top priority,” Saipem said after NOPSEMA’s approval.
The Scarborough gas resource is located in the Carnarvon Basin, offshore Western Australia, and is being developed through new offshore facilities connected by an approximately 430 km export trunkline with a 36”/32” diameter to a second LNG train (Pluto Train 2) at the existing Pluto LNG onshore facility.
The first cargo is expected to be delivered in 2026.
The work assigned to Saipem is relevant to coating, transportation and installation of the trunkline, at a maximum water depth of 1,400 meters, including the fabrication and installation of the line structures and of the pipeline end termination in 950-meter water depth.