This specific phase of decommissioning covers activities to facilitate the disconnection and removal of the FPSO including topsides and subsea flushing and well suspension.

Xodus will be working on behalf of the Australian Government, providing advice on project coordination, regulatory and environment, health and safety, technical, quality assurance, and contract management as part of the agreement.

Alasdair Gray, Late Life and Decommissioning Lead at Xodus said: “We have a highly experienced local team with several of our colleagues having extensive experience of the Northern Endeavor either from the early design and installation phase of the project or during production operations. This means that whilst being able to bring a fresh approach, the facility is already familiar to much of the team.

“We understand environmental sensitivities and the impact these can have on any proposed activity or execution plan. Expert technical advice and careful planning will be critical to the successful decommissioning of the offshore field in a safe and responsible manner. We are pleased to provide the necessary support to ensure that the decommissioning strategy is robust and ultimately compliant with regulatory expectations.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Industry, Science, and Resources (DISR) Phase 1 NE Decom Project Management Team said: “We are pleased that Xodus has officially joined as our assurance team for Phase 1 of the Northern Endeavour Decommissioning Project. This marks a significant step forward in our role in managing the environmentally responsible and safe closure of the Northern Endeavour FPSO, permanent plugging and abandonment, and remediation of associated fields. We value Xodus’ forthcoming contributions and look forward to a collaborative and productive partnership.”

The Northern Endeavour is a 274m long FPSO which is permanently moored between the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields in the Timor Sea. It stopped producing oil in 2019. In non-production mode, the now redundant production system comprises a network of subsea wells tied back to the permanently moored vessel unit through a system of subsea manifolds, flowlines, umbilicals, and dynamic risers. Produced oil was stored onboard the vessel and unloaded via offtake tankers using a tandem mooring system.

The decommissioning follows the liquidation of the owner of the Northern Endeavour, the Northern Oil and Gas Australia (NOGA) group of companies, in 2020. A temporary levy on offshore oil production is recovering the full costs of decommissioning and remediating the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields.