Boskalis Contract for Darwin Pipeline
Royal Boskalis Westminster will deploy two large backhoe dredging vessels in pipeline trenching and landfall construction for the Ichthys gas export pipeline development near Darwin, Australia. Boskalis will work on behalf of Saipem (Portugal) Comércio Marítimo on the contract, worth EUR 200 million.
The Ichthys development revolves around the construction of a new 42-inch deep sea natural gas pipeline from the Ichthys field in the Browse Basin 880 kilometers through the Darwin harbor to Darwin onshore. INPEX is the main developer of the Ichthys project.
For Boskalis, the contract entails dredging an 18 kilometers pipeline trench in which the gas pipeline will be laid, a pipe-pull over a distance of approximately 3,000 meters and the installation of a protective layer of rock after the pipeline has been laid. A cofferdam and winch platform will be constructed at the waterline edge to build the landfall. The services of SMIT Subsea as well as miscellaneous ancillary equipment will be used during the course of the project. Work is set to commence mid 2013 and is expected to be completed by mid 2015.