Van Oord wins Ichthys dredging contract

The contract forms part of the Ichthys LNG Project, a joint venture between INPEX (operator) and TOTAL. INPEX is Van Oord’s client. The value of the contract is approximately €567m. Execution of the project will begin in August 2012 and is scheduled for completion in April 2014.

Gas from the Ichthys Field, in the Browse Basin approximately 200km offshore Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and extract condensate. The gas will then be exported to onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889km subsea pipeline.

The Ichthys LNG Project is expected to produce 8.4m tonnes of LNG and 1.6m tonnes of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak. Extension of the Darwin Harbour shipping channel and dredging of berth pockets is required to allow large product tankers to gain access to the proposed LNG facility at Blaydin Point.

Van Oord will dredge approximately 15m m3 of mainly hard soil. The works will be carried out by a large self-propelled cutter suction dredger, three large trailing suction hopper dredgers and two large backhoe dredgers. In order to limit the impacts of the works on the environment a dredging and spoil disposal management plan is being prepared that provides environmental guidelines for the execution of the dredging and spoil disposal works.

Van Oord has also announced that Eneco has selected the company as its preferred supplier for construction of the Eneco Luchterduinen offshore windfarm. The windfarm will be built 23km off the coast of Zandvoort, The Netherlands. As EPC contractor Van Oord will be responsible for engineering, procurement and installation of the foundations for the windfarm, the electrical infrastructure, including the offshore high voltage station, and installation of the wind turbines. Aeolus, Van Oord’s turbine installation vessel, will undertake the project. The vessel is under construction and will be operational early 2013.