Esso Australia adds fourth vessel to support Bass Strait decommissioning

Esso Australia has chartered Helix Energy Solutions’ vessel Q7000 semisubmersible to decommission oil and gas fields in the offshore Gippsland basin of eastern Victoria.

Helix Q7000 will be the fourth mobile offshore asset in Esso’s decommissioning program which already includes Rig 22, the HWT600, and the DOF Subsea support vessel, said ExxonMobil Australia chair Dylan Pugh. It also marks the first time that ExxonMobil Australia will use a light well intervention vessel for subsea work locally, he said.

Rig 22 is currently working a plug and abandonment campaign at Flounder field. HWT600 rig is finalizing plug and abandonment activities at Fortescue and will then move to Bream field.

The DOF vessel completed a marine life survey and will soon move to decommissioning activities at the Perch and Dolphin monopods.

There is currently no indication of where the Helix vessel will be stationed when it arrives in Bass Strait towards yearend.