Chevron is preparing to invite a select group of contractors to bid for the semi-submersible platform for the Jansz-Io gas compression project off Western Australia, writes Russell Searancke.

Sources said the chosen few include the South Korean trio of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries; plus one or possibly two yards in Malaysia, and one other in Southeast Asia.

Experience in semisub construction was an essential prerequisite, said sources.

Chevron ran an expression of interest exercise earlier in the year for the engineering, procurement and construction of the unmanned power and controls distribution platform, officially known as the field control station.

The platform will have a 10,000-tonne hull supporting a 5000-tonne topside.

Sources said Chevron aims to issue an invitation to tender to the selected bidders this November or December.

The platform is one part of the Jansz-Io scheme, with the main feature being a large subsea compression system.

All elements of the project are being designed by Aker Solutions, which said recently that its first service order under a master contract with Chevron is the front-end engineering and design of the compression station.

That FEED work will include the offshore platform, as well as overall field system engineering services.

The field control station will distribute onshore power to the subsea compression system.

Compression will help maintain plateau gas production rates from the Jansz-Io field as reservoir pressure falls away.

The Jansz-Io field is located in deep water of about 1000 metres some 200 kilometres off the north-west coast of Western Australia.

Production from the field runs to the Gorgon LNG facility on Barrow Island via a subsea pipeline of about 130 kilometres in length.

Jansz-Io compression is one of Chevron’s three major planned investments in Australia.

The others are the Clio-Acme development, which aims to commercialise two fields for processing through existing LNG facilities, and the Gorgon Stage 2 upstream development.

These schemes could deliver more than A$12 billion in capital spending.

Meanwhile, on Gorgon phase two, Civmec, an Australian fabricator, has landed a series of sub-contracts.

The Perth-based player has been called up by the project's main contractors TechnipFMC and Allseas to build subsea structures, said sources.

TechnipFMC, lead contractor for all subsea installation work, chose Civmec for subsea rigid spool fabrication and offshore spreader bars and sea-fastening construction.

Twenty-four diverless spools and jumpers will be built using corrosion-resistant alloy and carbon steel, while 24 spreader bars will help support structures during offshore transport of the subsea spools.

Allseas, the main contractor for the Gorgon phase two subsea pipelines, has sub-contracted Civmec to build four active pipe supports, 15 buckle initiator sleepers and various installation aids.

Allseas said in a bid document that fabrication is due to begin this year.

TechnipFMC and Allseas began engaging local and overseas contractors last year with quiet optimism that local contractors would be chosen rather than so-called lower-cost solutions in Southeast Asia.

Australia has no prescribed local content targets but there is a legal requirement that project proponents must provide “full, fair and reasonable opportunity” for domestic companies to supply goods and services.

Gorgon phase two will expand the subsea gathering network at the Gorgon and Jansz-Io fields and also involves a new drilling campaign.

Baker Hughes GE is supplying the subsea production system.

Weekly

Chevron readies Jansz-Io semisub shortlist