About the Northern Endeavour

The Northern Endeavour is a 274 m long floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility which we have disconnected and removed. It was permanently moored between the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields, about 550 km northwest of Darwin in the Timor Sea.

There are 9 oil wells on the sea floor associated with these oil fields.

An illustration of the Northern Endeavour and oilfields

This diagram shows the Northern Endeavour moored between the Corallina and Laminaria oil fields.

Why we’re decommissioning the Northern Endeavour

Following liquidation of the former private owner, the Commonwealth took ownership of the Northern Endeavour FPSO. The Australian Government then announced plans to decommission, disconnect and dispose of the FPSO and remediate the Laminaria-Corallina oilfields.

Decommissioning is a normal and planned activity carried out in the offshore petroleum industry. It involves safely removing and recycling oil and gas production infrastructure. It also includes rehabilitating and removing risks to the surrounding marine environment.

How we’re decommissioning the Northern Endeavour

We aim to complete the decommissioning work efficiently and safely, ensuring value for money and protecting the surrounding environment. We’re managing the program across 3 phases.

  • Northern Endeavour work program

    We aim to complete decommissioning of the Northern Endeavour efficiently and safely, ensuring value for money and protecting the surrounding environment.

  • Offshore petroleum cost recovery levy

    The Offshore Petroleum Laminaria and Corallina Decommissioning Cost Recovery Levy (OP Levy) is a temporary levy on offshore petroleum production.

Our decommissioning progress

Phase 1 of the program is operationally complete and the FPSO has been safely delivered to the recycling facility.

Phase 2 of the program is in progress. This phase focuses on design and planning to permanently plug and abandon the 9 wells in the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields.

Future milestones

  • 2026 and beyond

    • Sign a contract to plug and abandon 9 oil wells and commence this Phase 2 work.
    • Approach the market to deliver phase 3 of the program to remove the subsea infrastructure.
    • Remove well infrastructure in the Corallina and Laminaria oil fields to protect the environment.
    • Remove subsea infrastructure from the oil fields and transport it to shore for reuse or recycling. This includes flowlines, chains and mooring infrastructure.
    • Remediate the oil fields.

Some important milestones

  • 2026

    • We are currently evaluating tenders submitted to deliver phase 2.
    • We handed over the FPSO to Modern American Recycling Services Europe’s ship recycling facility after an 8-week voyage from Singapore to Frederikshavn, Denmark.
    • We loaded the FPSO onto the COSCO Shipping Heavy Transport’s (COSCO) semi-submersible heavy transport vessel, the Hua Rui Long in Singapore.
    • We finalised all works in Singapore. This included removing the flare tower, hull cleaning and painting, and removing protrusions from the topside and underside of the hull.

  • 2025

    • The Normand Sirius and the Skandi Emerald towed the FPSO to Singapore for further works before its recycling.
    • We successfully disconnected the FPSO from the Corallina and Laminaria oilfields, cutting 8 risers and 9 mooring chains and lowering them to the seabed.
    • We engaged Modern American Recycling Services Europe (MARS) to recycle the FPSO at their ship recycling facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark.
    • We contracted COSCO to dry tow the FPSO to Denmark for recycling using semi-submersible heavy transport vessel, the Hua Rui Long.
    • We completed the well suspension of 7 wells and the SURF flushing campaign of nearly 30 km of pipeline with the Sapura Constructor Light Well Intervention Vessel.

  • 2024

  • 2023

  • 2022

    • Petrofac became the registered operator of the FPSO and took operational control.
    • The regulator, National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), accepted Petrofac’s Safety Case and Wells Management Plan.

  • 2021

  • 2020

    • The Commonwealth took responsibility for the Northern Endeavour facility.
    • We engaged Upstream Production Solutions to operate and maintain the FPSO.
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More information

See how we regulate offshore oil and gas in Australian Commonwealth waters
Read the offshore petroleum decommissioning guideline (PDF) on NOPTA’s website
Read the trailing liability guideline for decommissioning offshore petroleum property
Find more decommissioning guidance on NOPSEMA’s website
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