Petrofac, a leading provider of services to the global energy industry, has officially taken over operatorship of the Northern Endeavour FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offtake) facility on behalf of the Australian Government. This major milestone is a huge step in the landmark decommissioning contract which heralds the start of an era of decommissioning in the nation’s offshore oil and gas sector.

Petrofac’s Australian team based in Perth, Western Australia, was contracted approximately six months ago to complete Phase 1 of the decommissioning of the Northern Endeavour FPSO by the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR).

Since the award, work has been underway to prepare the FPSO for disconnection. The first task was to carry out extensive due diligence including physical inspections of the remote FPSO, which is being maintained in non-production mode. The Northern Endeavour is a 274-metre-long vessel, moored between the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields about 550 kilometers northwest of Darwin in the Timor Sea.

As the nominated operator on behalf of the Australian Government, Petrofac is responsible for the safety and day-to-day operation of the FPSO, as well as preparing it for disconnection.

Petrofac’s team in Perth has grown since the award, creating local jobs and opportunities for upskilling in the Australian workforce. The team is supported by the company’s global technical hubs with their extensive decommissioning experience. A large proportion of the existing offshore crew on board the Northern Endeavour have been retained to ensure critical asset knowledge is retained.

Josie Philips, Petrofac’s Regional Director, Australia, said:

"The whole team including our subcontractors, the supply chain and the original operator, as well as the regulators and the Commonwealth, have pulled together to make this a safe, efficient and successful transition to our operatorship. Now under regulation, as operators we can focus on the next steps to safe disconnection.”

Nick Shorten, Chief Operating Officer for Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business, said:

“This is a high profile, landmark project both for Petrofac, and for the Australian decommissioning industry so I’m delighted to see the progress the team are making in setting the benchmark for the future using our unique integrated services approach.”

Source: Petrofac