To date, we’ve made significant progress decommissioning the Northern Endeavour floating production storage and offtake (FPSO) facility and remediating the associated Laminaria-Corallina oil fields.
Phase 1 is underway and focuses on disconnecting the FPSO from the subsea infrastructure and disposal of the vessel. This includes maintaining and operating the facility in non-production (lighthouse) mode, and work to prepare for the decommissioning and disconnection of the FPSO.
We started a procurement to choose a contractor to lead phases 2 and 3 of the decommissioning program in 2023. The procurement process started with an open approach to market for proposals from interested parties. Our department reviewed the submissions and released a request for tender (RFT) to a short list of providers in March 2024. We've started evaluating tenders and expect to award the contract later this year.
Decommissioning work we’ve completed
Ongoing operations
- Transitioned in the decommissioning lead contractor Petrofac Facilities Management Limited as operator of facility.
- Operations and maintenance of ageing and often obsolete equipment is ongoing.
- Put in place a remediation plan for structural integrity (topsides) and prevention of dropped objects.
- Safely operated with no serious injuries or environmental incidents.
- Carried out the annual inspection, maintenance and repair campaign of the subsea infrastructure.
- Classification surveys and structural related works in tanks to ensure compliance with class rules.
- Provision of specific training and conducting emergency response exercises to test and ensure appropriate resources available if needed.
Preparing to disconnect
- Contracted specialist vessels to support decommissioning and disconnection works.
- SURF flushing campaign started and partially completed. Lessons learned are informing future well suspension and SURF flushing activities planned for later in 2024.
- Topsides flushing and decontamination is ongoing and includes compiling the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM).
- Equipment integrity and reliability assessments to align with the disconnection schedule.
- Equipment for FPSO disconnection (hardware) manufactured or procured and installed.
- Groundwork for the disconnection and disposal of the floating hose.
Complying with regulation
- Engaged with relevant stakeholders, including on regulatory matters.
- Ongoing National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) regulatory compliance inspections. These occur regularly and there has been 3 successful NOPSEMA inspections since phase 1 started.
- NOPSEMA accepted the first and second safety cases.
- Developed the well suspension strategy and continue to engage with NOPSEMA for wells management.
- Ongoing engagement with class society to ensure continuity of class certification.
- Environmental approval received under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) 1999 with 34 conditions.
- Drafted the Environment Risk Management Plan, which was approved by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
- Ongoing engagement with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) as part of planning (pre-and post-disconnection).