SIV is not in a position to stop seismic surveys however, we are supporting our Members through negotiating with the oil and gas companies to represent industry interests. This includes negotiating compensation outcomes should fishing businesses be impacted by seismic surveys. This could include assisting Members with application for compensation.

We will keep you informed with the latest updates.​

BHP

Minerva Plug and Abandonment and Field Maintenance Environment Plan
BHP is planning for the next stage of its ongoing safe and sustainable closure of the Minerva Field located in Commonwealth waters approximately 11 km south of Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia. The Field lies entirely offshore in the Production Licence VIC/L22 in the Otway Basin, in approximately 60 m of water.
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Gas production from the Minerva fields ceased in 2019, following which BHP sold its interest in the onshore Minerva Gas Plant to Cooper Energy.

For this activity, BHP proposes to permanently plug and abandon (P&A) four wells using a moored semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU). These wells comprise two suspended gas production wells (Minerva-3 and Minerva-4) and two suspended exploration wells (Minerva-1 and Minerva-2A).

The P&A activities are required to be completed by no later than 30 June 2025. Future decommissioning activities will be covered under separate environmental approvals and relevant stakeholders will continue to be engaged as part of these work scopes. 

For more information please click on the fact sheet - Minerva Plug & Abandonment Filed Maintenance Environment Plan

BEAch energy

​Update on Offshore Drilling Campaign

Project Update
In the offshore Otway Basin, Beach is continuing development of natural gas to ensure ongoing production at the Otway Gas Plant, that supplies gas to the Australian east coast market.
From February 2021 to July 2022, Beach safely and successfully completed drilling seven offshore natural gas wells. Two of the new wells are already connected to the Otway Gas Plant through the existing offshore pipeline and a further four wells in the Thylacine gas field are currently being commissioned (see page 2 in attached information sheet).
 
Beach is now updating the existing Otway Offshore Operations Environment Plan to add operation of the new four Thylacine wells to the activities already set out in the Environment Plan. The attached information sheet explains the activities and locations of the wells, offshore platform, and offshore to onshore pipeline.
 
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any questions or require further information, please don't hesitate to contact us: community@beachenergy.com.au or 1800 797 011

Beach Energy | Information Sheet – Thylacine Wells -Otway Offshore EP Review | February

Environment Plan for Otway Offshore Development - Thylacine Installation and Commissioning
We write to advise that the Environment Plan for Otway Offshore Development - Thylacine Installation and Commissioning has been accepted by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Management Authority (NOPSEMA) and can be found here: https://info.nopsema.gov.au/activities/503/show_public
 
Located approximately 68 km south of Port Campbell in water depths of around 100 m, the activities are due to commence on 10 February 2023 and take approximately 8 weeks to complete.
 
A specialist construction support vessel and remote operated vehicle (ROV) will be used to install additional seabed infrastructure to connect four new wells in the Thylacine field, which has been producing natural gas since 2007. This activity represents Phase 5 in the development of the Otway Offshore Project.
 
Safety exclusion and cautionary zones
All vessels in the area will be required to observe the existing Petroleum Safety Zone (PSZ) of 500m radius around the Thylacine well heads and infrastructure. The Australia Hydrographic Office has issued a Notice to Mariners for safety exclusion and cautionary zones.
 
Vessel contact details:
VESSEL DETAILS
Skandi Acergy
Call sign: LAFD7
Vessel Contacts:
Vessel Bridge (VSAT): +47 23 67 54 02 /+47 23 67 54 04
Vessel (Inmarsat): +870 764 867 154 /+870 773 924 733
 
If you require further information or have any questions on these projects, please contact us: community@beachenergy.com.au or 1800 797 011. 

INFORMATION SHEETS

COOPER ENERGY

Natural gas supplier Cooper Energy develop new environment plans for proposed activities, and revise their environment plans for ongoing activities every five years.
 Their environment plans encompass:
  • Offshore gas production from the Otway and Gippsland Basins.
  • Operation of domestic gas plants at Orbost and Port Campbell, along with their associated pipelines.
  • Decommissioning of non-producing fields 50km offshore in the Gippsland Basin. This will ultimately allow the resumption of full access to fishing.
You can visit their activities website at the following link to determine how you might be affected - https://cooperenergy.wixsite.com/coeoffshore

Update
Some highlights for this year in relation to our offshore activities:
  • We completed a short visual inspection of our Patricia Baleen and Basker Manta Gummy (BMG) facilities in March 2022 (ref NTM 216(T)/2022).
  • We plan to commence decommissioning of BMG offshore subsea facilities in 2023. Our BMG decommissioning progress report is available on our website: https://www.cooperenergy.com.au/Upload/BMG-Closure-Project-Annual-Progress-Report.pdf
  • We are also planning exploration and development campaigns, with offshore activities circa 2024 as described in the attached activity update.
For more information click here: Cooper Energy Activities Update

conocophillips


UPDATE
Proposed Environment Plan to undertake an exploration drilling program in Commonwealth waters in the offshore Otway Basin.
The proposed activities are a continuation of ConocoPhillips Australia’s exploration program in the offshore Otway Basin which aims to identify commercially viable natural gas reserves to help meet Australia’s energy needs.
ConocoPhillips Australia is proposing to undertake an exploration program that consists of seabed surveys and the drilling of up to six exploration wells in exploration permits VIC/P79 and T/49P located in Commonwealth waters offshore of Victoria and King Island, Tasmania.
ConocoPhillips Australia has commenced preparation of an Environment Plan (EP) that will seek approval for this exploration drilling program to be undertaken. Drilling commencement is dependent on regulatory approval and rig availability. The initial activity will be seabed assessments,which will commence no earlier than January 2024. Detailed information on the activities proposed, the areas they intend to operate and timeframes for the proposed works can be found in the attached information sheets. 
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INFORMATION SHEETS

ESSO Australia

​Bass Strait Exclusion Zone Reminder
Esso Australia is a major producer of crude oil and gas in Australia. Esso operates 23 offshore facilities in Bass Strait,
feeding a network of 600km of underwater pipelines to keep the oil and gas flowing, 24 hours a day.

​Click here for the updated - Petroleum Safety Zones 

MARINUS LINK

 Marinus Link project update - MEGSI survey - Bass Strait
Marinus Link’s Marine Engineering Geotechnical Site Investigation (MEGSI) continues into its 4th week of the campaign in the Bass Strait.
  •  Nearshore DCPT testing in Waratah Bay and contamination sampling in Heybridge are completed. 
  • Core Sampling work continues in Waratah Bay and along the proposed route in the Bass Strait.
  •  Our survey vessel TEK Ocean Spirit is currently undertaking geotechnical investigations of the ocean floor in Waratah Bay. 
Background:
  •  Marinus Link’s MEGSI survey began on Wednesday, 9 February, departing from Port Anthony, Victoria. Official survey activities commenced off the coast of Burnie, Tasmania on Thursday, 10 February. 
  • The MEGSI survey is being undertaken by Australian company MMA Offshore, aboard the survey ship ‘TEK Ocean Spirit’.
  •  The survey will take between four to six weeks (weather dependent) and will carry out tests on approximately 110 sites across Bass Strait, in sea depths up to 80 metres. 
The types of testing being undertaken include core sampling, cone penetrometer testing (CPT) and thermal testing. The surveys will have a very localised impact, and will only require sampling up to 5 metres below the seafloor. We will also be conducting contaminant sampling in the nearshore environment around Heybridge (TAS).
To ensure the survey activities have a minimal impact on marine operators and waterway users, we recommend that you check your local marine safety authority for notices:
                                        It should be noted that there will be no seismic testing involved in this survey.
This is the third marine survey Marinus Link has undertaken to determine the most suitable corridor for the project’s undersea cables to be sensitively buried.

For more information on Marinus Link’s environmental assessment process, please visit: www.marinuslink.com.au/environmental-assessment-and-planning-processes/. 

star of the south

NOPSEMA -UPDATES

Environment plan submissions for offshore energy activities