Bass Strait
at 50
Australian venture marks the 50th anniversary of the country’s first major offshore discovery well.
The historic Gippsland Basin joint venture completed its first discovery well 50 years ago, in February 1965. That well and the offshore facilities that followed have supported production of some 4 billion barrels of oil and 8 trillion cubic feet of gas. In the half century since the first discovery, investments of around $20 billion have funded 17 plat- forms, associated subsea produc- tion systems and other offshore installations feeding a network of about 370 miles of pipelines. Esso Australia operates the venture, in which Esso and BHP Billiton Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty. Ltd. each have a 50 percent interest. Onshore, investments include the Longford complex, comprising three gas plants and a crude-oil stabilization plant in the state of Victoria that serves as the onshore receiving point for the venture’s Bass Strait production. Longford has supplied most of Victoria’s gas requirements since 1969. It also supplies gas to New SouthWales, Tasmania and other locations.
separate ethane, propane and butane product streams. Long Island Point also stores crude oil before distribution to refiner- ies in Australia and overseas. A jetty extending about 2,000 feet offshore is equipped to load gas liquids and oil onto ships. The joint venture’s marine- support base is the Barry Beach Marine Terminal about 60 miles southwest of Longford. Its
1,300-foot wharf accommodates a pedestal crane with a 110-ton lifting capacity. Cargo shipments from Barry Beach to the offshore platforms average about 70,000 tons per year. Richard Owen, Esso Australia chairman, describes the Gippsland Basin joint venture as one of the most enduring partnerships in Australia’s corporate history. “The story of oil and gas
Additional facilities About 115 miles west of
Longford, the Long Island Point complex includes a fractionation plant for separating gas liquids processed at Longford into
Story by Mike Long
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