Oilfield supply chain provider ASCO has won the contract for logistics services to the Shell Prelude floating LNG project.
The Prelude vessel will be located in the Browse Basin approximately 800km west of Darwin, and expected to begin production sometime in 2016 or 2017.
Prelude’s Darwin Onshore Supply Base will be located within the East Arm Logistics Precinct opposite ASCO’s own logistics centre, only 2km from the ASCO managed Marine Supply Base at Darwin Port.
ASCO will be responsible for managing Prelude’s operations and logistics requirements, which includes management of Shell’s Darwin Onshore Supply Base, road and airfreight transport within Australia, and supply vessel support to the facility through the dedicated Darwin Marine Supply Base.
ASCO Australasia CEO Matt Thomas said ASCO has international experience working with Shell, and this would help them to deliver efficiencies and innovation throughout the integrated supply chain.
“In a highly cost-conscious environment, suppliers such as ASCO need to deliver innovation and improvements across the entire supply chain,” Thomas said.
“The best way to achieve that is by tackling issues and solving problems together.
“From the outset of negotiations we chose to adopt an open and transparent approach to the way we do business with Shell.
“We set out to work with them as a partner and in this sense we intend to operate more like a department within their organisation rather than a contractor.’
Thomas said ASCO recognised the importance of Shell’s activities to the Australian, Northern Territory and Western Australian economies and would support local employment and skills development wherever possible, including indigenous employment.
ASCO recently acquired Bonnie Rock Transport, which is now named ASCO Transport and Logisitics.