Boskalis brings two-year job at Woodside’s huge gas project off Australia to an end

Dutch offshore services giant Boskalis has set the seal on its assignment at a giant $12.5 billion energy project, which is on track to achieve its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo in 2026 off the coast of Western Australia.

Boskalis spent two years working on the Scarborough energy project, which was 73% complete at the end of September 2024. Located approximately 375 km off the coast of Karratha in Western Australia, the Scarborough field’s reservoir is said to contain less than 0.1% carbon dioxide.

This project encompasses the Scarborough joint venture (JV), the Pluto Train 2 joint venture, and modifications to Pluto Train 1 to process gas. The Dutch firm’s work was focused on the installation of the 433-kilometer-long gas export pipeline from the gas field to the Pluto LNG facilities in Dampier, Western Australia.

According to the firm, the execution of its scope of work was made possible by the collective efforts of its specialist fleet, including the Gateway trailing suction hopper dredger, Baldur backhoe dredger, Seapiper subsea rock installation vessel, and BOKA Tiamat construction support ship.

Boskalis underlined that its Seahorse subsea rock installation vessel recently wrapped up the final phase of the firm’s scope by installing strategically placed rock mounts at six critical subsea crossings.

The Dutch player claims these ‘berms’ are “essential” as part of the overall design to maintain the pipeline’s position. This is expected to safeguard the pipeline from scouring, protecting it from the ocean conditions for decades to come.

“We thank all the dedicated crews of the vessels involved, whose expertise and dedication have made this another successful Boskalis project,” the company said.

Boskalis’ announcement follows Saipem’s disclosure about the completion of the trunkline installation at the Scarborough project two months ago with 433 kilometers and over 36,000 lengths of pipe at depths of up to 1,400 meters.

After it comes into operation, the trunkline will transport gas from the offshore Scarborough field to the onshore Pluto LNG processing facility in Karratha, helping to meet demand for the lower carbon and reliable energy the world needs today and into the future, according to Woodside.

The delivery of the first LNG cargo is slated for 2026, generating more than A$50 billion ($33.43 billion) in direct and indirect taxes for Australia’s economy, over 3,000 jobs during the construction phase, and creating or sustaining almost 600 jobs on average during operations.

Recently, Woodside Burrup handed out a traditional owner construction contract to a 100% Karratha-owned and 50% Indigenous-owned company for the delivery of civil works for the Pluto LNG Train 1 modifications project.

Woodside secured environmental approval for the North West Shelf (NWS) project extension from the Western Australian government a few days ago, restarting the federal environmental approvals process.

The approval of the extension is perceived to be the key to advancing the firm’s $30 billion Browse gas project. If the federal approval comes in, this will extend the Karratha gas plant’s life to 2070.