Jumbo Shipping Completes Caisson Transport at Gorgon [IMAGES]

Image: Jumbo

On August 12th, Netherlands-based heavy lift and project cargo shipper Jumbo Shipping, completed the transport and discharge of twenty-five caissons for the Material Offloading Facility (MOF) at the Gorgon Project off Australia. These concrete caissons will form the base of the heavy lift offloading facility for the Chevron LNG Plant to be constructed on Barrow Island in Australia.

Scope of work

The Jumbo Jubilee transported the twenty-five caissons from Port Klang, Malaysia to Barrow Island, Australia in four shipments. The caissons, weighing from 600t up to 700t (D: 12.5 and H: 16.8 meter), were lifted from a barge and placed in the hold of the vessel for transport. Due to the enormous hold capacity of the Jumbo Jubilee and its ability to sail with open hatches, it was possible to transport seven MOF caissons simultaneously, while maintaining a minimum ship draft. At Barrow Island, Jumbo used anchor points and mooring lines to keep the vessel in position while discharging the caissons.

Environmental compliance

Barrow Island is a ‘Class A Nature Reserve’. Jumbo developed and implemented a strict Quarantine Compliance Plan, including an extensive familiarization and environmental training program. This Environmental Compliance Program, combined with Jumbo’s “Stay Well” Program and the vigilance of the captain and crew, resulted in a project completion with zero environmental conservation incidents, zero safety incidents, and zero lost time on Jumbo’s account. 

On behalf of the Saipem Leighton Consortium, DB Schenker awarded the contract to Jumbo and applauded Jumbo for performing the whole operation as planned with respect to every detail, safety, environmental conservation, transportation, mooring, and tidal discharging.

DB Schenker also awarded Jumbo an additional Gorgon related contract for the shipment of three 1,175t amine absorbers, and an 444t regenerator from Masan in Korea to Henderson in Australia, employing the Jumbo Jubilee and the Fairpartner.

The project was completed with zero safety incidents and environmental conservation incidents.

The Gorgon Project

The Gorgon Project is one of the world’s largest natural gas projects and the largest single-resource project in Australian history. It is operated by Chevron and is a joint venture of the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron (approximately 47%), ExxonMobil (25%), Shell (25%), Osaka Gas (1.25%), Tokyo Gas (1%) and Chubu Electric Power (0.417%).