North Australian FISH FINDER forums

Went for a fish up Middle Arm earlier in the week and the gas supply ship was sitting off the power station - now this has more than likely been discussed, but it dawned on me as weird that a few k's up the coast we have gazzillions of litres/tons of Australian gas being piped in, refined and all sent off to Japan, and that ship is passed by another bringing in gas for the power station

Can anyone tell me :-
1/. Where does that gas come from that they bring in to fuel the power station?

2/. How do they get the gas from the ship to the power station? (it was moored offshore on the x4 yellow buoys - is there a 'floating' pumping connection there somewhere??).

Slug. I think you'll find the gas ship was supplying Kleenheat and not the power station but I could be wrong. That ship is a smaller version of the bigger ones that export and I suspect the gas comes from WA and services coastal from WA-Qld and possibly PNG - Vanuatu. Again I could be wrong but I watch it head through the Vernons and it may even service Gove and Groote.

The Power station is hooked into the Northern gas line from the Amadeus Basin and now the Blacktip line just off shore in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf.

I would presume Kleenheat are buying and selling Australian product but who knows! I also suspect they don't have a contract to buy NT made and I'm fairly sure that they are WA based.

OK - thanks for that Ninja.

So how do they pipe it up onto shore do u know? (I couldn't see any sign of hoses/pipes indicating they were hooked up or pumping - and didn't want to get too close lest I had a shot fired over the bow ...)

Not sure how but there must be a fixed line somewhere - underwater?
Google earth shows pump/transfer stations but no obvious fixed lines.

There's a davit/crane onboard capable of lowering/fixing hoses and if they're using port tugs for hook up it's expensive gas!

The 'Gas Defiance' has just rounded Thursday Island and heading south down along Cape York to Botany. Marine Traffic shows pics in Cairns, Tassie and NZ so it gets around.

Cheers Ninja - must remember to swing in close for a poke around next trip out that way (sometimes wish I wasn't so 'curious' ... )

NinjaFish wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:11 pm Not sure how but there must be a fixed line somewhere - underwater?
Google earth shows pump/transfer stations but no obvious fixed lines.

There's a davit/crane onboard capable of lowering/fixing hoses and if they're using port tugs for hook up it's expensive gas!

You are correct that it is LPG being imported for Kleenheat. There is a subsea pipe that is winched aboard for discharge.

Inpex export LPG from Darwin however this has all been purchased by Japanese customers.

We live in a world we will never understand.

This'll tell ya where the ships come from and where they're going.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/ho ... 3.7/zoom:4

Cool info.
We buy helium from the Conoco plant but it needs to be trucked to Sydney and trucked back to Darwin...

Read this and cry, gas mismanagement has cost Australians dearly ... https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy ... 2ad9762b41