Bechtel uncovers sabotage at QCLNG
24 July 2013 03:22 GMT
Local police were called to Curtis Island, near the town of Gladstone, on Monday after routine equipment inspections on the Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) project found winches appearing to have been intentionally damaged.
“A number of chain block lifting devices, which are used to lift equipment and material into place where it can then be secured, appear to have been tampered with,” Bechtel Gladstone general manager Kevin Berg said in an emailed statement to Upstream on Wednesday.
“A full inspection of the equipment across the site found further suspected tampering had occurred on the same equipment.”
Bechtel confirmed in the email that Workplace Health and Safety and the Gladstone Police were notified as soon as it was suspected the equipment was intentionally damaged.
“Bechtel is working closely with both organisations to fully investigate these incidents on site,” Berg said.
Local media reports cited Gladstone Police’s Detective Senior Sergeant Luke Peachey saying that a number of the lifting devices were missing nuts.
While no one was injured, Berg said it was “extremely distressing” that someone on Bechtel’s projects could be willing to deliberately put themselves or their workmates at risk.
He said immediate action will be taken to remove any persons found responsible from the company’s projects.
“If this is found to be the result of criminal or intentional actions, Bechtel will strongly support any action the regulators and the Queensland Police Service determine to be appropriate,” Berg added.
Upstream relayed a request for comment to the QCLNG media spokesperson for BG Group, the operator of the project, but this was not answered in time for publication.
The QCLNG project involves pumping coalbed methane from southern Queensland’s Surat basin through a 540-kilometre pipeline network to an LNG facility on Curtis Island to be converted to LNG for export. About 3000 workers are currently on the project and first gas is expected for delivery next year.