World’s largest semisub for Ichthys

Japanese oil company Inpex announced that South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industry had finished the semisubmersible central processing facility (CPF) for the Ichthys LNG project.

The 150 metre by 110 metre CPF will soon be sailed the 5,600 kilometres to western Australia from Geoje, South Korea.

“To see this enormous facility in the water is a testament to those who have worked for years to make it a reality,” INPEX President Director Australia Seiya Ito said in a Thursday press release. “This milestone is a clear demonstration that the Ichthys LNG Project is making good progress, and that we are working in an excellent spirit of cooperation with our Korean contractors.”

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industry began construction of the semisubmersible in 2013.

Inpex originally announced that the LNG project would on line by the end of 2016, and earlier this month pushed the first production for the $37.4-billion project to the third quarter of 2017. Though initial production has been pushed back, the company has also revised its projected output. It now expects to produce 8.4 million tonnes per year at the LNG plant, a rise of 6 percent.

The Ichthys gasfield in offshore Australia is estimated to hold roughly 368 bcm (13 tcf) of gas, and more than 500 million barrels of condensate.

Photo courtesy of Inpex

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