Woodside picks MMA Offshore for support on Scarborough drilling ops

Offshore vessel provider MMA Offshore has secured a deal for one of its platform supply vessels (PSVs) with Woodside, for operations offshore Western Australia.

MMA Offshore informed on Monday that it was awarded a contract for the 2012-built PSV MMA Inscription by Woodside – on behalf of the Scarborough Joint Venture – to support offshore field development drilling for the Scarborough project in Australia’s North West.

According to the vessel provider, the contract is for a firm period of 350 days, however, Woodside also has additional options that can be exercised to extend the vessel’s stay on this project.

As per the terms of the deal, the operations are expected to start in the second quarter of 2023, while the PSV MMA Inscription will continue its current charter with ConocoPhillips supporting Bayu Undan offshore facilities until the end of 2022. This will be followed by a scheduled dry-docking immediately prior to starting this development drilling campaign for Woodside.

Commenting on the contract award, David Ross, MMA’s Managing Director, remarked: “This contract further strengthens our forward order book with the MMA Inscription now under contract through to the first half of 2024. We are delighted to continue our long-standing and highly valued relationship with Woodside and look forward to supporting them on the Scarborough development.”

The Scarborough Joint Venture is made up of Woodside and BHP Petroleum, holding 73.5 per cent and 26.5 per cent interest, respectively. Back in November 2021, the two companies made a final investment decision to proceed with the Scarborough project. In addition, these two players are also in the process of merging, which is anticipated to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.

A water treatment deal was also inked for the Scarborough project with ProSep on Monday, providing the U.S.-headquartered player with its first gig in the region.