Module arrival signals next phase for Ichthys LNG Project

The INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project is preparing for the next phase of its construction effort in Darwin, following the unloading of its first large pre-fabricated module. Modules will be used to construct the Project’s LNG processing facilities at Bladin Point.

Managing Director Ichthys LNG Project Louis Bon said the safe arrival and unloading of the first of more than 200 modules was an important milestone for the Project and marked the next phase for its onshore construction effort.

“Much of the work we have been doing to transform Bladin Point has been leading up to this event – we have been setting the foundations to prepare for their arrival and installation at site,” he said.

A modularised approach to construction is now common in Australia. For the Ichthys LNG Project, this approach involved having components of its onshore facilities assembled in modules at fabrication yards and tested before transporting them to site.

Mr Bon said designing and constructing modules in this way was a key part of delivering the global project on schedule and on budget.

“The Ichthys LNG Project’s onshore facilities were designed so that some elements would be modularised while others could be stick-built on site in Darwin,” Mr Bon said.

The Ichthys LNG Project’s pre-fabricated modules are being built at four yards in China, the Philippines and Thailand. Over the next 18 months, about 60 module shipments are scheduled to arrive in Darwin. The largest modules can weigh more than 6,000 tonnes.

Transported on large, custom-made marine vessels, module shipments will travel past Darwin on the way to the Project’s module offloading facility (MOF) at Bladin Point. The MOF supports the offloading of the large modules and oversized equipment that is too large to be transported to site by road.