The INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project marks another major milestone with the safe arrival of its Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility in Australian waters.
The 336 metres long, 59 metres wide, ship-shaped, weather-vaning facility, named Ichthys Venturer, will be permanently moored in the Browse Basin, about 220 kilometres off the Western Australian coast.
“The safe completion of the 5600 kilometre, 26 day tow of the Ichthys Venturer from South Korea to Australian waters is another significant stride forward for the Ichthys LNG Project,” said Managing Director Ichthys Project, Mr Louis Bon.
“The Ichthys Venturer is one of the largest and most advanced offshore facilities of its kind in the world, and it can accommodate up to 200 people.”
“The FPSO has been designed to hold 1.12 million barrels of condensate and operate for 40 years in a cyclonic environment, setting new benchmarks for durability,” Mr Bon said.
Ichthys Venturer joins the Ichthys LNG Project’s Central Processing Facility (CPF) – the Ichthys Explorer – the world’s largest semisubmersible platform that was safely moored in the Ichthys Field recently.
Once the Ichthys Venturer is moored in the 250-metre deep waters of the Ichthys Field, hook-up and commissioning activities will commence.
The FPSO will process, stabilise and store the condensate delivered from the Ichthys Explorer before periodically offloading it to tankers for export to market.
The Ichthys LNG Project is expected to produce up to 8.9 million tonnes of LNG per annum and 1.65 million tonnes of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.