Valaris semisub gets into position for Australian offshore project

Australian oil and gas supplier Santos is set to start an offshore development drilling programme at its US$3.6 billion Barossa gas and condensate project in northern Australia that will take more than a year to complete.

Valaris, the owner of the drilling rig assigned to the campaign, said in a Linkedin post that its semi-submersible rig MS-1 completed the tow from Dampier to the Barossa field on 16 July.

The semisub — built in 2011 to an F&G ExD Millennium design — is contracted with Santos from July 2022 until October 2023.

Based on Santos’ previous guidance, the Barossa workscope comprises six subsea production wells in about 250 metres of water.

“This significant drilling project has been in the planning for many months. I thank all those involved for their safe work in getting the rig ready, including our business partners involved in the project upgrades," said Valaris' rig manager Alistair Mcdonald. "I'm looking forward to a safe and successful operation for the Santos Barossa campaign.”

The Barossa project is expected to monetise about 4.5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 50 million barrels of condensate, with the gas providing new supply or backfill to the Darwin liquefied natural gas facility, also operated by Santos.

The project partners are Santos with a 50% interest, South Korea’s SK E&S on 37.5%, and Tokyo-based Jera on 12.5%.