INPEX has marked the first dry dock hull block erection on the Ichthys LNG project central processing facility (CPF) at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Samsung Heavy Industries’ (SHI) shipyard in Geoje, South Korea.
With 150m x 110m topside dimensions, the CPF will be the world’s largest semi-submersible platform, says Inpex.
The CPF is a very large floating facility that gathers natural gas and condensate from the Ichthys Field's subsea wells. Gas will undergo initial processing on the CPF, which will be permanently moored at the field, to extract condensate and water and remove impurities in order to make the gas suitable for transmission.
Image: The Ichthys field layout.
Most condensate will be transferred from the CPF to the nearby floating production, storage and offloading facility (FPSO) for offshore processing, with the remainder sent to Darwin with the gas via the 889 kilometre gas export pipeline.
Once complete, it will be towed about 6000km to the Ichthys field in the Browse basin, offshore Western Australia.
Work is underway for all major Ichthys LNG Project facilities, including the the FPSO, the subsea structures, flow lines and umbilicals, the Gas Export Pipeline, and the onshore LNG processing plant in Darwin.
On 19 February, a major milestone was reached for the FPSO when the project celebrated its keel laying.
INPEX president Director Australia Seiya Ito said: “The placement of the hull block marks the culmination of huge fabrication efforts since the first steel plates were cut in January last year. Successful delivery of the CPF is of great importance as it is the center of the project’s offshore development, with all future production being processed through this facility. Today’s event is another major step towards the completion of this world-class facility, by late 2015, and a major step in the delivery of the Ichthys LNG Project – one of the world’s most exciting and challenging developments.”
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