Marine and offshore engineering consultancy Aqualis Offshore has successfully completed its position-keeping role for the Ichthys central processing facility (CPF), which is now moored to a storm safe condition in Australian waters.

On 29 May 2017, the operator Inpex announced that the 120,000 tonnes CPF, named Ichthys Explorer, had reached its final destination in Australian waters, 220 kilometres off the north coast of Western Australia.

Since then, Aqualis Offshore has managed the position-keeping procedure and provided position keeping masters offshore while the CPF has been secured with eight anchors in total – two in each corner – to make it storm safe. Once the full mooring is completed, the CPF will be moored with a 28-point spread mooring system with chain-wire rope-chain line make-up attached to driven anchor piles.

Aqualis Offshore’s Singapore office has provided the services as a sub-supplier to POSH Terasea Offshore Pte Ltd, who also managed the successful 5,600-kilometre towage of the Ichthys Explorer from Geoje, South Korea, to the Ichthys field.

“To be involved with the station keeping of what is considered the world’s largest semisubmersible platform is something every team member is very proud of. More importantly is that the entire job went according to plan,” says Phil Lenox, director – Asia Pacific, Aqualis Offshore.

POSH Terasea Offshore Pte Ltd has also awarded Aqualis Offshore the contract to provide position keeping services for the coming offshore installation of the Ichthys FPSO. The two companies work closely together on such projects under their FPSOlutions alliance.

Aqualis Offshore is a specialised marine and offshore engineering consultancy focusing on the offshore oil and gas and wind industries. It is part of Oslo-listed energy consultancy group Aqualis SA.

Tags: Aqualis Offshore, Aqualis SA