Offshore
(updated 22 12 23) 
AIMPE & AMOU Submission on Bass Strait Offshore REZ
(uploaded 22 12 23)
The AIMPE and AMOU have lodged a submission with the Department of Climate Change consultation about the Bass Strait Offshore Renewable Energy Zone. Our submission supports the declaration of the REZ
The submission is in similar format and content to the previous submissions that AIMPE & AMOU have made regarding the declarations by the Federal Government of Offshore REZ areas in Commonwealth waters.
The declaration of Offshore REZ areas is the first step in the process of developing an Offshore Wind industry.
The submission can be found here:
AIMPE & AMOU submission re Bass Strait Offshore REZ
AIMPE & AMOU Submission on Illawarra REZ
(uploaded 20 09 23)
The AIMPE and AMOU have lodged a submission with the Department of Climate Change consultation about the Illawarra Offshore Renewable Energy Zone.
The submission is in similar format and content to the previous submissions that AIMPE & AMOU have made regarding the declarations by the Federal Government of Offshore REZ areas in Commonwealth waters.
The submission can be found here:
AIMPE & AMOU Submission re Illawarra Offshore REZ.pdf
AIMPE & AMOU Submission on Southern Ocean REZ
(uploaded 18 08 23)
The AIMPE and AMOU have lodged a submission with the Department of Climate Change consultation about the Southern Ocean Offshore Renewable Energy Zone.
This latest submission repeats the strong support for the declaration of the Renewable Energy Zone to allow for planning and development of Offshore Wind projects in the region off Portland Victoria.
The submission also repeats the call for early maritime training to avoid further skill shortages in the future.
A copy of the submission can be found here:
AIMPE AMOU Submission re Southern Ocean Offshore REZ 18_08_23.pdf
AIMPE & AMOU Submission on Hunter REZ
The AIMPE and AMOU have lodged a submission with the Department of Climate Change consultation about the Hunter Offshore Renewable Energy Zone.
AIMPE and AMOU are strongly supportive of the development of Offshore Renewable Energy projects including Offshore Wind farms. This will be a big part in the "Just Transition for Seafarers" in Australia in the decades ahead.
The unions made this statement in the submission:
AIMPE and AMOU Support the Proposal for a Hunter Offshore Renewable Energy Zone
AIMPE and AMOU are strongly supportive of the concept of developing Offshore renewable energy generally and off the NSW Hunter coast in particular. Since the closure of the Newcastle Steelworks over 20 years ago there has been a lack of major investment in the region and as a consequence a lack of economic development in the Hunter. The unions also support the development of other REZs elsewhere around Australia including the NSW Illawarra coast, the Tasmanian coast, the Victorian coast and the WA coast.
AIMPE and AMOU believe that the Hunter Offshore Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) could generate a significant amount of investment in a series of projects. These projects could also be the catalyst for new investments in shore-based industries associated with the construction and operation of the renewable energy projects as well as new industries which could take advantage of the green energy produced.
The unions have however expressed concerns about the workforce issues and the need for training to ensure that Australia has the pool of maritime professionals it will need to build and operate these renewable energy facilities.
The full submission can be found here:
AIMPE AMOU Submission re Hunter Offshore REZ 21_04_23.pdf
Hunter offshore wind
The momentum for the establishment of Offshore Wind in Australia took another step forward in February when the Federal Government opened its consultation period for the Hunter Offshore Renewable Energy Zone.
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen made the announcement in Newcastle together with Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon and State and Local Government representatives.
The consultation period is open until 28th April 2023. Interested members should go to the Department of Climate Change website - Consultation hub | Offshore renewable energy infrastructure area proposal: Pacific Ocean off Hunter - Climate Change (dcceew.gov.au).
AIMPE has previously written to Minister Bowen about Offshore Wind and we have included him in our submissions calling for a new national maritime training program – to ensure that there is a supply of skilled Australian seafarers ready to undertaken the work need to construct and operate the Hunter Offshore Wind Farms.
One of the existing proponents of a Hunter Offshore Wind farm is Oceanex Energy. Oceanex have prepared a detailed proposal which can be downloaded from their website - Oceanex Energy | Energising the new economy | Oceanex
The waters off the NSW coast are quite different from the waters of the Bass Strait off Gippsland Victoria which was the location for the first consultation in Australia over an Offshore Renewable Energy Zone. The continental shelf drops steeply off the NSW coast and the Offshore waters off NSW are too deep for the installation of Wind Turbine towers that are fixed to the seabed. This means that the Hunter Offshore Winds farms will be floating towers.
The vast majority of the Offshore Wind farms in the operation around the world today are fixed to the seabed in relatively shallow waters. Only a handful are floating Offshore Wind farms.
A variety of designs for floating Offshore Winds towers are being considered by the various proponents and developers. Whatever design eventually proves the most robust and cost effective it is almost certain that they will be largely constructed in the nearest suitable port and then towed onto location. Anchors will then be deployed to secure each tower into position.
The Oceanex proposal indicates that they will deploy over 130 towers- so that is quite a job in the initial deployment phase. Each tower will require multiple anchors to be laid so this will not just be a tow and drop operation. The towers will be connected to offshore substations and then a large cable will be laid for transmission of the electricity to the east coast grid ashore.
During the operation phase Oceanex’s indicative planning is the up to 8 vessels will be required and these will be based in Newcastle. Some of these will be crew transfer vessels to take maintenance personnel out to the turbine towers. Others will be larger vessels with greater capability to carry out a range of tasks.
In Oceanex’s submission they suggest a marine base in Newcastle with sufficient space for 8 Offshore Wind Support Vessels. The “artists impression of the base places it virtually alongside the main tug base in Newcastle. Maritime companies which have been consulted by Oceanex in the process of preparing its report include Atlas, Bhagwan, Boskalis and Tek Ocean. Oceanex has also entered into a relationship with the Norwegian Offshore operator Equinor (of the ill-fated Great Australian Bight oil & gas proposal).
The tie up with Equinor is significant because the Norwegian giant is now operating the largest floating Offshore Wind farm in the worlds. Interestingly the 11 tower Hywind Tampen project is located between two large Oil & Gas facilities and the output from the Wind Turbines will help power the Oil & Gas facilities. For more info go to the Equinor site: First power from Hywind Tampen - Equinor
The Hunter Renewable Energy Zone is large enough for several Offshore Wind farms to be developed over time. Each Offshore Wind Farm of the scale of the Oceanex project is expected ot be able to generate 2,000Mw – equivalent in output to one of the existing baseload coal-fired power stations which are due to be closed over the coming decades.
The construction of the Hunter Offshore Wind project in not likely to commence before 2028 – so this is a long-term prospect, its not just around the corner. Oceanex is just one proponent and there is no suggestion that they have preferred approval status but they have put together a serious report and that places them at the front of the pack.
Last year a total of six Offshore Renewable Energy Zones were announced by the Federal Government. The first consultation was for the Bass Strait area off Gippsland. Hunter Coast is the second. The other four are: Illawarra Coast NSW, North East Tasmania, Portland, Victoria and Perth- Bunbury WA. These six regions could all support multiple Offshore Wind projects and so as the “net zero by 2050” deadline approaches there will be more and more pressure to produce more and more of Australia’s energy needs by renewable means. Offshore Wind is going to be a significant part of the story.
AIMPE response to Esso's Bass Strait Offshore Decommissioning Plan
(uploaded 29 08 22)
AIMPE has lodged a submission with NOPSEMA in response to the Decommissioning Plan proposed by Esso for the Halibut, Fortescue, Cobia, Mackerel, Kingfish A, Kingfish B, West Kingfish, Flounder platforms.
AIMPE has urged NOPSEMA to reject Esso’s proposal to cut the eight deep water structures covered in this EP at 55 meters below sea level, and to leave up to 5m of the two shallower-water structures in place. AIMPE along with other interested unions has called on NOPSEMA to ensure that Esso complies with their obligations to remove all of its disused offshore oil and gas infrastructure, as per the OPGGS Act.
Leaving infrastructure in place would set an inappropriate and potentially dangerous precedent for the rest of Esso’s decommissioning campaign, and for other Australian decommissioning projects. A copy of the full submission can be read using the following link:
AIMPE Submission to NOPSEMA re Esso Decommissioning Plan 29 08 22.pdf
Offshore Reunion in WA
Dates have been set for an Anchor Clankers' reunion in WA in October
Consultation open for Offshore wind
(uploaded 10 08 22)
The Federal Government has given Offshore Wind a bit of a nudge by kicking off a consultation period for the first major Offshore Renewable Zone - off Gippsland in the Bass Strait. The Minister for Climate Change Mr Chris Bowen made the announcement on 5th August.
Public consultation on the proposed Bass Strait off Gippsland area will begin immediately. Consultation will involve communities, environmental groups, industry and the maritime sector to ensure communities are appropriately engaged in establishing this new industry.
The other regions for offshore wind energy projects include:
- The Pacific Ocean region off the Hunter in NSW
- The Pacific Ocean region off the Illawarra in NSW
- The Southern Ocean region off Portland in Victoria
- The Bass Strait region off Northern Tasmania
- The Indian Ocean region off Perth/Bunbury, WA.
Details of the five other regions and the public consultation processes will be announced in due course.
Unlocking the power of offshore wind in Australia will help power the nation.
Offshore wind can help with energy security and resilience due to its power capacity and availability at times when solar power and onshore wind are not available.
The International Energy Agency has even referred to it as in a class of its own – variable baseload power.
Good to excellent offshore wind locations exist at strategic locations. These include sites with existing energy generation facilities and industrial hubs with strong connections to existing transmission networks, near major export ports, and near industrial hubs where the transmission grid is the strongest.
Estimates for the job opportunities of an offshore wind industry in Australia range from 3000-8000 jobs annually. Where offshore wind has been established in other countries, the main pathways into the industry have been from the energy sector and existing offshore industries.
Consultation document for Bass Strait region of Gippsland:
Overview-of-the-Proposed-Area-Gippsland-Victoria.pdf
Or go straight to the consultation hub:
Global review of Offshore decomissioning
(uploaded 10 08 22)
Oil and Gas companies in Australia have set up a body called the Centre of Decomissioning Australia (CODA)
The title sounds like a Government agency but it is an industry group. It is not a replacement for NOPSEMA but it is doing some work that is of interest to members who work in the Oil & Gas sector. Recently CODA published a review of decomissioning around the world. Here is the report:
Global-Review-of-Decommissioning-Planning-and-Execution-Learnings.pdf
Esso's Bass Strait Offshore decomissioning
(uploaded 10 08 22)
The decomissioning of some of the earliest Offshore Oil and Gas infrastructure in Australia is gathering pace. Esso was one of the first to produce oil and gas and Bass Strait was the location of the first offshore platforms. The planning for full decommissioning is now well underway.
Read the Esso report:
Esso-Australia-Decommissioning-Annual-Report-2021.pdf
Offshore Wind submission
(uploaded 23 09 21)
Australia has lagged behind Europe in the development of Offshore Wind energy.
Now the Federal Minister for Energy Hon Angus Taylor has tabled new Bills in Federal Pariament which, if adopted, will lay the foundations for the development of Offshore Winds farms in Australia.
This could be a major growth area for AIMPE members employment into the future.
AIMPE and AMOU have made a joint submission to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee in relation to the Inquiry into the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Bill 2021 and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021.
The AIMPE/AMOU submission calls for the Senate Committee to recommend a number of changes to the legislation before the Parliament. The first recommendation is to ensure that the vessels that work on Offfshore Electricity projects should be Australian registered:
“That the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Bill 2021 and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 be amended to include provisions which require licence holders to ensure the use of Australian registered vessels for any maritime activities in relation to offshore electricity infrastructure which are of greater than three months duration. Foreign registered vessels should not be permitted to be used for any maritime activities in relation to offshore electricity infrastructure which are likely to be of greater than three months duration.”
The second recommendation in the AIMPE/AMOU submission relates to training and seeks that maritime training should be a licence condition for all companies developing Offshore Electricity projects [including Offshore Wind farms]:
“That the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Bill 2021 and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 be amended to include provisions which require licence holders to require all participating companies to provide maritime training to ensure the availability of sufficient numbers of qualified Australian Masters, Engineer and Deck Officers to operate all vessels required for the foreseeable Offshore Electricity Infrastructure development.”
To read the full AIMPE/AMOU submission click below:
Here are the two Bills if you want to read futher:
Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 21121b01.pdf
OEI Regulatory Levies Bill 2021 21122b01.pdf
To continue to follow this issue you might also like to check out the other submissions which have been made to the Senate Committee Inquiry.
Here is a link to the webpage for the Inquiry:
It is good to see that both the MUA/ETU submission and the ACTU submission also call for vessels involved in Offshore Electricity Infrastructure be Australian registered:
"Require the use of Australian ships for construction and operations, and require they be Regulated Australian Vessels under the Navigation Act"
Decommissioning of Offshore installations
(updated 23 12 20)
The FPSO Northern Endeavour is proving to be the catalyst for new clearer policies over the decommissioning of Offshore assets in Australia.
The problems of the Northern Endeavour were highlighted in the Walker Report which is now in the public domain:
review-of-circumstances-that-led-to-the-administration-of-noga-executive-summary-and-recommendations.pdf (910.42 KB Wed Dec 23 10:31:14 2020)
The Federal Minister for Resources Mr Keith Pitt has announced that the Northern Endeavour will be decommissioned:
Northern_Endeavour_to_be.docx (16.06 KB Wed Dec 23 10:33:55 2020)
This has been confirmed by the Federal Department:
Decommissioning_the_Northern_Endeavour.docx (16.06 KB Wed Dec 23 10:34:54 2020)
NOPSEMA has reported on the whole issue of decommissioning in its latest edition of its magazine:
The_Regulator_December_2020_A759732.pdf (5.16 MB Wed Dec 23 10:29:39 2020)
NOPSEMA goes public
(updated 11 03 20)
15 years after NOPSA was formed and 8 years after it became NOPSEMA, the Offshore Oil and Gas regulatory authority has launched a new magazine.
It is called The Regulator.
Offshore members in particular might be interested to have a read:
The_Regulator_March_2020_A720926.pdf (3.30 MB Wed Mar 11 13:27:46 2020)
INPEX Agreement signed
On 24th January 2017 in Perth AIMPE, AMOU and MUA representatives gathered with Inpex representatives for the ceremonial signing of the arrangements agreed in late 2016 to cover the maritime aspects of the Ichthys Project. Pictured are the five signatories from left to right: Chris Cain [President MUA], Terry Snee [President AIMPE], Tim Higgs [President AMOU] Hitoshi Okawu [Director, Inpex] and Louis Bon [Managing Director, Ichthys Project].
What is the Inpex Agreement?
- INPEX, the developer and operator of the large-scale Ichthys LNG Project, has signed an arrangement with Australia’s three maritime unions covering the next decade of operations. Included in the arrangement are commitments towards the training of maritime employees, the implementation of a diversity program, and the promotion of Australian crews on Project support vessels (to the extent practicable and permissible by law). These commitments are aimed at retaining and enhancing the skills and experience of Australian maritime workers in the LNG sector.
- A key feature of the arrangement is an enhanced dispute settlement process, which creates a proactive framework for the settling of disputes, and will have in place a dedicated conciliator for that purpose. The arrangement also seeks to provide certainty of operations through the dispute settlement scheme.
- The focus of the dispute settlement process is on conciliation as the primary method for resolving disputes. The process facilitates discussions between the parties to a dispute in an effort to resolve matters constructively and expeditiously.
- The arrangement is consistent with, and reflects, the intent of the Fair Work Act, in that it supports and promotes cooperative and productive workplace relations that will proactively prevent disputes.
- The arrangement also includes principles whereby:
(a) The parties are committed to fostering a solution-based work environment, underpinned by mutual respect and desired behaviours by all parties.
(b) INPEX encourages and supports employers and prospective employers of maritime employees on the Project to implement safe workplace programs and frameworks, and high standards of HR/IR practices.
(c) The maritime unions recognise the importance of proactive communication and constructive engagement with all employers of maritime employees on the Project.
The arrangement has been negotiated by the parties with a framework that will have it in place until 2030.