Offshore giant spurs intrigue in Bunbury

A 15,000-tonne offshore oil and gas decommissioning vessel has proven a unique site while docked in WA’s third largest city.

Southern Ports welcomed the Bahamas-flagged Helix Q7000 to Bunbury this week to unload a 116-tonne subsea decommissioning module used in the Bass Strait.

That module will be trucked to a warehouse in Perth.

Helix Well Ops UK vice president Steve Nairn said the unique design of the vessel meant few Australian ports could accommodate it.

“The Q7000 hasn’t docked since it was at Geelong Port in December 2023 mobilising critical equipment required to perform safe decommissioning operations in the Bass Strait,” he said.

“With the need to unload, we looked across Australia to find a suitable port, but there are few ports that could take the vessel due to her weight, size, and logistics for removing the equipment.

“We were thrilled to discover that the Port of Bunbury ticked all of our boxes.”

The visit is a first for Southern Ports, with such vessels rarely coming to shore.

Bunbury’s port has seen some large industrial imports in recent years – most notably modules required for Albemarle’s Kemerton lithium plant and Enel Green Power’s Flat Rocks Wind Farm near Kojonup.

Southern Ports chief executive Keith Wilks said the visit demonstrated the capability of the Port of Bunbury.

“The Port of Bunbury is extremely unique for any Australian port given its expansive land size, our sheltered inner harbour, and our capability to import large breakbulk,” he said.

“We have the capacity to facilitate the import of large infrastructure and equipment at the Port of Bunbury and are always looking for opportunities to further our breakbulk trade and meet our customers’ needs.”

“The Helix Q7000’s visit has reinforced how strong regional ports can contribute to strong regions, with a maximum of 140 crew members able to take shore leave, boosting our regional economy.”

The Q700 will next head up to WA’s north-west.