The North West Shelf Expansion Project has announced contracts totalling nearly ASD 20 million to four Australian companies for the fabrication of equipment for a ASD 1.6 billion LNG Train 4 project. The contracts, awarded by the Kellogg Joint Venture (KJV) on behalf of NWS Operator Woodside, were for various process vessels, valves and pump packages to be fabricated in workshops in WA, New South Wales and Victoria. It is expected that over the coming two years, the NWS Expansion Project will account for a major part of production from major Australian fabrication shops with structural steel, piping and mechanical erection contracts scheduled to be awarded over the next two months. The Coffs Harbour-based W.E. Smith Hudson Pty Ltd and its Perth-based sister company HEI Hudson Pty Ltd were awarded contracts in excess of USD 10 million for the fabrication of various huge heat exchangers and process vessels. The largest of the heat exchangers, a 15m x 6m diameter butted type vessel, will be built at W.E. Smith’s facilities at Coffs Harbour and shipped by barge to the North West Shelf. It is one of the biggest vessels of its kind built in Australia and will require a special load-out facility to be built at Coffs Harbour for shipment of the 250-tonne vessel. In the past, process vessels of this dimension had to be imported. HEI Hudson’s Welshpool workshop will fabricate three large diameter heat exchangers. Melbourne-based Flowserve Pty Ltd was awarded a contract in excess of USD 8 million to supply process control valves. As part of the contract, Flowserve will undertake front-end design work in KJV’s Perth office.
