UGL wins Gorgon maintenance contract

Engineering group UGL has been awarded a five-year contract to maintain energy giant Chevron's Western Australia gas assets.

UGL will undertake mechanical and electrical work on Chevron's liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

UGL expects work to begin on the Gorgon gas project in the first half of calendar 201 and says the multi-million contract could be extended beyond the five-year term.

"We are very proud to have been selected by Chevron to provide maintenance services across the company's portfolio of critical oil and gas assets in Western Australia," UGL chief executive Richard Leupen said in a statement.

Union says illegal workers on Gorgon gas project

The Maritime Union claims a number of illegal immigrants are working on the Gorgon gas project.
The union claims that a sub-contractor of Chevron is employing crane operators and deck hands on tourist visas and paying them below award wages.

"It's just a cheap grab for labour, cheap labour that it is on these multi-multi-billion dollar projects, it's a joke" said MUA Deputy National Secretary Mick Dolman.

Chevron looking to expand Gorgon gas project

Chevron is aiming to approve an expansion of the Gorgon gas project within 2 years. The news was released by Chevron's vice president of technology and services, Jim Blackwell, at a briefing for analysts in New York. More that $US25 billion worth of contracts have been awarded so far at the Gorgon gas project.

Gorgon distributing $9 billion of work to Australian firms

The Gorgon gas project has delivered around $9 billion in work to Australian firms so far. Most of the work has been given to WA companies. There are currently around 85 boats and ships around Barrow Island involved with the construction of the Gorgon gas project.

PM praises Gorgon carbon project

The prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, visited the Gorgon gas project site last Saturday to praise the environmental credentials of the operation. The Gorgon gas project features the world's biggest carbon capture and storage program. At its annual meeting last week, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum recognised the Gorgon gas project for its leadership in carbon capture and storage.

Mermaid Marine secures Gorgon contract

Mermaid Marine has secured a shipping contract for the Gorgon gas project. The 3-year contract is worth more than $80 million and includes the provision of a towing tug, barge and landing craft. The barge will be uses to transport fuel from the mainland to the Gorgon site.

Chevron board may visit Gorgon site

The board of Chevron is to visit Perth at the end of this month to mark the first anniversary of its decision to approve the Gorgon gas project in Western Australia. Considering the board is making the trip from Houston to Perth, it would be strange for them not to go that little bit further and visit the Gorgon site during their stay in Western Austalia. Chevron's board includes a former Daimler Chrysler co-chairman and the current chairman of Wells Fargo.

Neptune gets 2 more Gorgon contracts

Neptune Marine Services has won 2 more contracts to provide dive and vessel support services on the Gorgon gas project. Neptune Marine Services is a leading subsea engineering solutions/services provider with a presence in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The contracts give the company an extra 14 months work at the Gorgon site.

Gorgon accommodation ship damaged

The ship used to accommodate workers at the Gorgon gas project site has been damaged. As previously reported by gorgongasproject.com, the cruise liner MS Finnmarken was brought to Barrow Island to house construction workers on the Gorgon site. It is believed the ship pulled away from its mooring at the Gorgon site and continued to sail to Dampier despite damage to its hull. The Western Australian government is now investigating the incident as it may have put the lives of some of the 270 workers on board at risk.

Monadelphous wins Gorgon contract

Monadelphous has won an $85 million contract for the installation of onshore pipelines, cables and tubes at the Gorgon gas project. Managing director of Monadelphous, Rob Velletri, said "This contract supports our objective of sustainable long term growth through expansion of our services with quality customers such as Chevron".

Fairstar wins Gorgon contracts

Two transportation contracts for the Gorgon gas project have been awarded to Fairstar Heavy Transport. Under the terms of the agreements, Fairstar will provide its two semi-submersible heavy transport vessels for the transportation of modules and related project materials from various construction sites to to Gorgon gas project site on Barrow Island.

Environmental Problems with Gorgon

The Greens have accused the WA State Goverment of negligence in protecting the environment on Barrow Island, home of the Gorgon Gas Project. They say that the government is failing to monitor the environment properly and point out the fact that environment officers meant to protect the island have not been employed yet. The government replied by saying that the selection process for six fly-in, fly-out conservation positions on Barrow Island was "now drawing to a conclusion".

Nearly 3,000 jobs created at Gorgon

The Gorgon gas project has generated almost 3,000 jobs so far according to Chevron. The company currently emplyos 1,800 people in Australia but is due to hire a further 700 people this year. Gorgon and other gas projects in Australia are the centrepiece of Chevron's growth strategy.

Gorgon workers to live on luxury liner

Chevron has announced plans to house Gorgon construction workers on a luxury liner. The workers will live there until a permanent settlement is built on Barrow Island. The liner is called the Finnmarken and is from Norway. The vessel can accommodate 350 workers.

Gillard tours Gorgon gas project site

Deputy Prime Minister Julie Gillard toured the construction site of the Gorgon gas project this week as part of a tour of LNG projects in Western Australia.
The Deputy PM encouraged people down on their luck in the eastern states to look at projects such as Gorgon for job opportunities. The Gorgon construction site is not much to see at the moment, but by 2014 Barrow Island will be home to the most sophisticated LNG project in the world.

Gorgon to push resources salaries higher in WA

Resources salaries are expected to start rising soon as projects such as Gorgon ramp up. Salaries have been flat recently, but the increase in business activity should increase salaries within the next few months. This year has brought renewed confidence to the resources sector in Western Australia.

Unions quick to defend Gorgon job salaries

West Australian Construction union boss Kevin Reynolds has defended the Gorgon pay deal saying workers deserved compensation for the isolated lifestyle. He said "They are locked away on this prison island", referring to the remote location of Barrow Island. The pay deal will see tradesmen paid up to $160,000 a year, with labourers being paid up to $150,000 a year.

Gorgon to help Australia enter new boom period

Rising Asian demand for cleaner-burning fuels from projects such as Gorgon may boost Australia's economy by 0.25 percent a year over most of the next decade says a leading analyst. LNG projects could also increase tax revenue by A$125 billion during the next 10 years. LNG projects valued at more than A$80 billion are scheduled for final investment decisions in 2010.

Chevron Signs Gorgon Gas Deal With Nippon Oil

Chevron has signed a 15-year deal to sell Nippon Oil Corp 4.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas from its Gorgon project in Western Australia. The agreement is to deliver 0.3 million tons a year of LNG to Nippon Oil.

"We are working hard to deliver LNG from the Gorgon Project safely, reliably and in an environmentally responsible manner to our customers in Japan and Korea," said Roy Krzywosinski, Chevron's Australian head.

Chubu of Japan to buy part of Gorgon LNG project

Japanese utility Chubu Electric Power Co is to 0.417% of Australia's Gorgon LNG project from U.S. oil giant Chevron. The stake is said to be worth around $170 million.

Chubu also said it would buy 1.44 million tonnes of LNG per year from the project's operator Chevron for 25 years from 2014.