The floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit to be put to work by Santos is on its way from Singapore to the Barossa field. 

Fully commissioned and ready for offshore deployment, the BW Opal left Seatrium's Tuas Boulevard Yard on May 28 to be tugged to the waters off Australia's Northern Territory.

According to BW Offshore, hook-up operations are set to start as soon as the vessel arrives at the destination and will be followed by the start-up phase, which includes offshore commissioning, well clean-up, and preparation for gas export, targeted for Q3 2025.  

The BW Opal is set to have a 25-year offshore lifespan. 

The vessel is 358m long and 64m wide and has 230 MW of installed power, gas processing facilities of 850 million standard cubic feet per day, as well as the capacity to process 11,000 barrels per day of stabilised condensate. 

According to Seatrium, efficiencies and modern tech on the FPSO will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15% compared to traditional systems, translating to a reduction of up to 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over the asset's life. 

In April this year, Santos finally secured a critical element of regulatory approval for its $5.8 billion Barossa gas project, as NOPSEMA signed off on a key pipeline production plan. The approval allowed Santos to begin final commissioning activities, bringing the long-delayed project a step closer to first gas.  

At the time a Santos spokesperson confirmed to Energy News Bulletin "Barossa remains on track for first gas in the third quarter of 2025 and within cost guidance."  

The environment plan for production operations accepted by NOPSEMA covers six subsea wells connected to the soon to arrive BW Opal vessel. 

Under its EP, gas will be piped 262 kilometres to the Darwin LNG facility, replacing supply from the aging Bayu-Undan field. At the same time, condensate will be offloaded by tanker. 

Source: Energy New Bulletin