Woodside’s Oil Rig Remains Suspended by Tropical Cyclone Billy

By Jason Scott

Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Australia’s second-largest oil and gas producer, said operations on a rig off Australia’s far northwest coast were still suspended due to Tropical Cyclone Billy.

“Our Sedco 703 rig is still evacuated and we’re still monitoring the situation,” said Yvonne Ball, a spokeswoman for the Perth-based company. The rig, which was drilling an appraisal well in the Browse Basin, is 425 kilometers (264 miles) north- northwest of Broome and was evacuated on Dec. 16.

At 9 a.m. Perth time, Tropical Cyclone Billy was estimated to be 85 kilometers north of Broome and 55 kilometers west- southwest of Beagle Bay. It was moving southwest at 15 kilometers an hour, according to Western Australia’s Fire and Emergency Services.

Australia’s northwest, the site of most of the nation’s oil and gas production, may have more tropical cyclones than average this season, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast in October. The region may have five to seven cyclones from Nov. 1 to April 30, up from four last year, the bureau said.

Gales with gusts as strong as 100 kilometers an hour are likely about the Dampier Peninsula including Broome today before easing this evening, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Rainfall in the southern Kimberley should gradually ease as Billy moves out to sea later today.

BHP Billiton Ltd. is continuing to load iron ore at Port Hedland, spokeswoman Kelly Quirke said.

“We are securing any non-essential equipment at the port and we continue to monitor the cyclone path,” she said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Perth at Jscott14@bloomberg.net