Fugro completes first Gorgon stage

FUGRO Survey in Perth has successfully completed the first sub-sea survey phase of its $30 million contract for the big Gorgon gas project off Western Australia’s north-west coast. It involved five months’ work, during which a massive 6,800 kilometres of geophysical data was gathered along a number of proposed sub-sea pipeline routes, to transport gas from the Greater Gorgon fields about 70km to the Barrow Island liquid natural gas production and export facilities. The Gorgon offshore facilities, about 120km north-west of Onslow, are in depths up to 1,400 metres, with Fugro’s work carried out by the MV Southern Supporter and final deep water geophysical route surveys completed using the company’s sonar deep tow-2 system from North America. The next phase of Fugro’s contract – the collection of detailed design-level geotechnical engineering information at the greater Gorgon sub-sea structure and along the proposed pipeline routes – is scheduled for comple-tion before the end of the year. Gorgon joint venture operator and 50 per cent stake holder, Chevron Australia, has signed a heads of agreement with major Japanese utility Tokyo Gas, for 1.2 million tonnes per annum of LNG beginning in 2010 over a 25-year period.