Rock, sediment and fishermen—insights on community engagement from the Ichthys LNG Project dredging program
Brad Williams A and Bill Townsend AINPEX.
The APPEA Journal 55(2) 435-435 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ14070
Published: 2015
Abstract
The Ichthys LNG Project is one of the most complex oil and gas developments ever attempted.
One challenge of the construction phase was undertaking a major dredging program to create a safe shipping channel and berthing area for LNG carriers through Darwin Harbour to the onshore processing facilities at Bladin Point. Dredging was also undertaken to create a trench in Darwin Harbour for the gas export pipeline.
The dredging program took about 16 months to remove more than 16 Mm3 of rock and sediment, with a six month break during the first dry season due to environmental uncertainties.
Ongoing discussions with key stakeholders and the community prior to the start of dredging affirmed the social, cultural and economic values placed on Darwin Harbour by local residents. Plans were developed to provide key stakeholders and the wider community with transparent information on the project’s dredging, environmental monitoring and research findings. The key focus of the campaign was marine safety and an integrated and tailored approach was used to deliver this message.
Valuable insights and lessons were gained from other major dredging programs undertaken in Australia and used in planning.
The Ichthys LNG Project dredging program included a combination of initiatives that, when implemented together, led to environmentally and socially responsible outcomes.
Brad is responsible for managing external affairs for Australian activities at INPEX, including the US$34 billion Ichthys LNG Project. Key focus areas for his team include stakeholder and community engagement, Aboriginal affairs, government relations and corporate social responsibility. Brad has more than twenty years’ experience in reputation management and has provided strategic policy and commercial advice across a range of sectors including energy, government, international trade, natural resources and agribusiness. |
Bill Townsend is the general manager of external affairs and joint venture at INPEX. In this role, Bill leads a 30-person team responsible for managing the company’s government and community relations, corporate social responsibility, regulatory approvals and compliance, communications, media relations and branding as well as joint venture management. Bill joined INPEX in 2006 and is a member of the Ichthys LNG Project Executive Committee. Beginning his career as a US Navy submarine officer, Bill entered the oil and gas industry in 1994 as a business advisor to BP Russia based in Moscow. Further commercial and external affairs assignments with BP followed and include the Shah Deniz gas project in Azerbaijan and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline project in Georgia as well as additional roles with BP in the Caspian region. Bill arrived in Australia in 2004 to take up his immediate past role as the joint venture coordination manager for the North West Shelf Ventures at Woodside Energy. Bill has a BA (political science) from Northwestern University and an MBA from Dartmouth College. |
