Australian government invites bidders for first phase of Timor Sea FPSO decommissioning

The Australian government is inviting interested parties to register for the tender for the decommissioning of a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platform at the Laminaria-Corallina oil fields in the Timor Sea approximately 550 kilometres northwest of Darwin.

Decommissioning of Northern Endeavour, a 274-metre-long FPSO formerly operated by Northern Oil and Gas Australia (NOGA), will also include rehabilitation of and the removal of risks to the surrounding marine environment.

The facility is in a non-producing mode. Necessary repairs and intermediate steps are being undertaken to ready the facility for decommissioning.

Decommissioning the FPSO and remediating the Laminaria-Corallina oil fields will take several years. It will be undertaken in three distinct phases, the first of which will be the decommissioning and disconnection of the facility from the subsea equipment.

The second and third phases will cover plugging and abandonment and remediation of the area’s marine environment.

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources will accept expressions of interest for the first decommissioning phase until 14:00 AEST on July 29, 2021. More information is available here.