“The View from Down Under”

By Andy Hogan

The onset of Autumn and the end of cyclone season Down Under has been accompanied by preparation for increased activity on the rig front. 

The Diamond Ocean Apex Semi-Submersible MODU, having spent the last few months moored just off Rottnest Island near Perth over cyclone season, has now departed for the NW coast to prepare to start the 4 well campaign for Woodside.

The Valaris MS-1 SS MODU, formerly known as the Atwood Osprey, has returned to Australian waters after three years of stacking at Labuan. It is off Dampier, about to commence an infill drilling campaign for Santos on the Van Gogh Field.

The Valaris 107 Jackup MODU is also located off Dampier preparing to commence work for SapuraOMV and then Jadestone. 

The Noble Tom Prosser jackup is also located off Darwin preparing to start the 3 well / 9-month infill campaign for Santos on Bayu Undan in Timor Leste waters.

Diamond’s Ocean Onyx and Maersk’s Deliverer continue to work for Beach and Inpex, respectively.  

It was recently announced that Cooper Energy have a contract in place with Helix Energy Services for the Q7000 intervention vessel for the abandonment of 7 wells on the BMG field in the Gippsland Basin, this is subject to FID and is currently expected to take place over Q2 2022.

NOPSEMA announced a five-year decommissioning plan on 19th April, this is likely to be fallout from the liquidation of NOGA in 2019 resulting in responsibility for the decommissioning of the Laminaria and Corallina Fields now vesting with the taxpayer.

The strategy articulates how NOPSEMA will work with its stakeholders to reinforce and clarify decommissioning related requirements and undertake compliance activities in a risk-based way where there is a higher risk of non-compliance with the decommissioning obligations.

In the coming year, NOPSEMA’s compliance approach will focus on implementation where titleholders’ planning and progress towards decommissioning and the execution of decommissioning is not being undertaken in a timely, safe, and environmentally responsible manner. This may result in NOPSEMA taking compliance actions such as issuing directions to some titleholders specific to decommissioning and end of life requirements. The goal is to ensure that by 2023 decommissioning plans are in place for all facilities and wells where equipment or property is not in use.

Read the latest issue of the OGV Energy magazine HERE.