BW Offshore has completed the Interim Performance Test (IPT) for the BW Opal floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, marking a significant commissioning milestone for the Santos-operated Barossa LNG project offshore northern Australia.
The successful completion of the IPT confirms that the FPSO's key production, processing and utility systems are operating in an integrated manner and are capable of delivering stable performance under production conditions.
The milestone follows the achievement of first gas in September 2025, which marked the transition of the BW Opal from the project phase into operations and initiated 60% of the contractual day rate under the vessel's charter agreement.
Under the contract structure, completion of the IPT increases the payable day rate to 85%, while the next milestone, Practical Completion, will trigger the full contractual day rate and mark the start of the 15-year firm charter period.
Following the restart of production in early May, BW Opal has continued gas production and export activities as part of the project's commissioning and ramp-up program.
BW Offshore said production is being managed in close coordination with Santos while the remaining commissioning activities are completed.
The BW Opal FPSO is designed to process up to 850 million standard cubic feet of gas per day and produce up to 11,000 barrels per day of stabilized condensate. The vessel will operate at the Barossa gas field, located approximately 285 km offshore Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory.
BW Offshore said it remains focused on safe and stable operations as the project progresses toward Practical Completion, which will conclude the delivery phase and commence the long-term contract period.
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