Maersk semisub gets ready for Ichthys drilling
Rig manned up to full operational state and preparing to move to first well
Japanese independent Inpex is on schedule to start a drilling campaign that could last up to five years in and around its Ichthys gas condensate field off north-west Australia.
The 2010-built ultra-deepwater semi-submersible Maersk Deliverer has arrived on location in the Ichthys area, with an Inpex spokesperson confirming that drilling of new production wells will begin next month.
Inpex has contracted the Maersk Deliverer from this October until August 2023 at a dayrate of US$266,200, with a pair of one-year extension options.
A spokesperson for Maersk Drilling said the rig is “located at its stand-by location and has been manned up to full operational state. The rig is preparing to move to the well site to start drilling operations in October as planned”.
The semisub was assisted on its journey from Singapore to Australia using one or both of the vessels MMA Plover and MMA Brewster, owned by Australian company MMA Offshore, which recently secured a new contract with Inpex to support the Maersk Deliverer for up to five years.
The Ichthys phase two drilling plan in December 2019 received regulatory approval. The campaign comprises between 12 and 15 new deep-water production wells targeting the Brewster and Plover reservoirs at the offshore field.
There is also the potential for workovers and well intervention on the existing 18 wells.
Inpex also has a substantial portfolio of exploration acreage in the Ichthys area, with participating interests in 18 offshore exploration blocks.
To date, gas discoveries have been made at Crown, Lasseter, Mimia and Burnside. These gas reservoirs extend across at least nine blocks.
Inpex intends to drill exploration and/or appraisal wells on its exploration permits but the timing of this is unknown.
The Ichthys project has been producing strongly since coming on stream.
Inpex in its latest financial results said that “stable operations had been maintained in 2020 without shutdowns as a result of various countermeasures against the spread of Covid-19”.
Australian consultancy EnergyQuest said Ichthys had “juggled soft demand” in the second quarter of 2020.
The project shipped 1.9 million tonnes of LNG in the second quarter, down 9.4% from the first quarter, and 84% of the nameplate capacity of 8.9 million tpa, according to EnergyQuest.
The Ichthys field is also designed to deliver 1.65 million tpa of liquid petroleum gas and 100,000 barrels per day of condensate.
A partnership between McDermott International and Baker Hughes is currently working on a large subsea contract for the phase two offshore expansion of the Ichthys field.
The workscope includes subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines, and a subsea production system.
Offshore installation is meant to begin this year and will be completed in 2023, using assets including McDermott's derrick lay vessel DLV 2000.
The Ichthys joint venture comprises Inpex on 66.245%, Total on 26% and Japanese LNG buyers on 7.755%.
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