New Zealand-headquartered PHI International has secured a two-to-three-year aviation services contract with Australian natural gas producer Woodside as the operator for the Scarborough Joint Venture. Through the agreement, PHI will provide transport services of personnel from the Learmonth Airport to offshore energy sites in the Carnarvon Basin off the northwest coast of Australia. Partners in the Scarborough JV include Woodside Energy, Scarborough, and BHP Petroleum Australia.
This contract begins in 2023 and PHI will utilize three transport-configured Sikorsky S-92A aircraft, operating from Exmouth, to provide daily passenger transport and on-call aviation support.
The Scarborough natural gas development is located 233 miles northwest of the Burrup Peninsula. It includes a floating production unit and a 430-kilometer (267-mile) gas pipeline that connects the development to a liquified natural gas (LNG) train at the Pluto LNG facility.
PHI COO Mike Price said the contract is an “acknowledgment of the high-quality passenger transportation services we provide around the clock globally using the S-92.” PHI is the largest S-92 operator in the region.