Long-term supporter of Australian GMA Garnet, Industrial Protective Coatings Queensland (IPCQ) has been contracted to execute the onsite surface preparation and subsequent coatings of the Non-Cryogenic Tanks at the INPEX Ichthys LNG Project in Darwin,  Australia.

IPCQ selected GMA Garnet as the preferred abrasive for this challenging project in order to complete works using the most efficient and economical abrasive in the challenging tropical conditions. 

Works comprise of surface treatment to both internal and external surfaces of 17 large bulk storage tanks and one sphere at the onshore processing facility at Blayden Point, outside of Darwin. 

IPCQ’s specialised team and NACE certified personnel have been working onsite since January 2015. 

“Choosing Australian Garnet assists us in faster completion of blasting works, whilst ensuring strict surface cleanliness requirements at Ichthys onshore facilities are easily met,” said Luke Emery, Director of IPCQ.

The INPEX Ichthys project is one of the largest and most significant LNG projects worldwide that is currently nearing completion. Ichthys represents the largest discovery of hydrocarbon liquids in Australia in 40 years.

Gas from the Ichthys Field in the Browse Basin off northwestern Australia will be transferred to the onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889km subsea pipeline. The first production is scheduled to commence towards the end of September 2017.

The facilities will have an operational life of at least 40 years and are targeted to produce 8.9 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum, along with more than 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.

  By Marc Putzier, GMA Asia Pacific