The 5,100 tonne fractionation module will be used as part of the first LNG processing train to separate ethane, propane and butane after the gas has been treated.
The offloading process from the semi-submersible vessel Forte took around 90 minutes, then another four hours to move the module through the construction site and onto its foundations.
“The module moved is longer than the length of an Olympic swimming pool, and weighs more the 4,000 small cars, so attention to detail is vital as each ship has different capabilities and limitations,” said JKC’s Module Offloading Facility Operation Manager Mike Webb.
“The main challenge has been developing plans and procedures to safely discharge 230 modules and other process equipment in Darwin Harbour where the tides can vary up to eight metres in one day.”
There are just five process modules left to ship from the last fabrication yard, with two of the five remaining modules due to arrive in Darwin Harbour next week.
The Ichthys LNG Project comprises an onshore LNG processing plant, offshore processing facilities, condensate storage, a 500 MW combined-cycle power plant and an 889 km, 1,050 mm diameter offshore pipeline.
The project will develop gas from the Ichthys gas field, located in permit WA-285-P in the Browse Basin, approximately 200 km offshore northwest Australia.
Joint venture interests in the project are INPEX (63.445 per cent), TOTAL (30 per cent), CPC (2.625 per cent), Tokyo Gas (1.575 per cent), Osaka Gas (1.2 per cent), Chubu Electric (0.735 per cent) and Toho Gas (0.420 per cent).
