Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation has been subcontracted to provide dredging services for the Wheatstone LNG Project in Australia.
Dredging International (Australia) has been awarded a subcontract by Bechtel Australia to dredge the approach channel, the manoeuvring area and the berths for the Chevron-operated Wheatstone Project near the town of Onslow, Western Australia. The subcontract will be executed in co-operation with Great Lakes. The work includes dredging more than 26 million cubic metres of material and the work will be executed under strict environmental conditions.
The total subcontract represents a value at today's currency exchange rates of about AU$1.13 billion (US$1.21 billion), of which Great Lakes will perform mechanical dredging on the project. Great Lakes expects to realise approximately US$180 million in revenue on this project with the potential for greater income once we finalize our participation. The subcontract will create more than 350 jobs at peak, including 70 in Western Australia, 40 in Pilbara region, and 90 throughout Australia.
The Wheatstone Project involves the construction of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains and a domestic gas plant 12 kilometres west of Onslow on the Pilbara coast. Gas will be transported via a pipeline from an offshore processing platform 225 kilometres off the coast to the onshore facilities. First LNG shipments are planned for 2016.
Great Lakes will mobilise its backhoe dredger 'New York', two material barges, tug boats and ancillary support equipment to Western Australia to assist in the excavation of clay and rock to create the access to the Wheatstone material offloading facility and the approach channel. The Great Lakes portion of the project is expected to take about 27 months to complete.
{WISroYQ symbol='GLDD'}