Varanus Island
| Varanus Island | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Waters | Indian Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Lowendal Archipelago | |
| Geographical location | 20 ° 39 '3 " S , 115 ° 34' 27" E | |
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| length | 2.5 km | |
| width | 600 m | |
| surface | 83 ha | |
| Highest elevation | 20 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Varanus Island (German Waran Island) is the largest island in the Lowendal Archipelago . It is located in the Indian Ocean off the northwest coast of Western Australia in Australia near Karratha in the Pilbara region between the Barrow Island and the Montebello Islands . It is 2.5 km long and 600 m wide and covers an area of 83 hectares . It reaches a height of 20 meters.
environment
The island consists of limestone and is heavily karstified , so there is little vegetation on it.
In the waters surrounding the island grow coral reefs , sea grass and algae and there are endemic flatback sea turtle , dolphins, dugong and green turtle before. The island, like the other islands of the Lowendal Archipelago , is a nature reserve where numerous colonies of birds nest.
The island is in the area of the Simpson Oil Field .
Australian gas crisis
The island is home to facilities for the extraction of the oil and natural gas deposits of the Harriet and East Spar oil fields, which the Bond Corporation developed in 1987. They are known as the Varanus Island Processing Hub and are owned by the Australian subsidiary of Texas' Apache Corporation .
When the gas pipeline of the Apache Energy oil company exploded on June 3, 2008, setting fire to and destroying the factory on the island, the staff there, around 140 people, had to be evacuated by aircraft. The explosion reduced the capacity to a third and created a gas crisis in Western Australia . It took Apache Energy two months to get the facility back up to half of its previous capacity.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pub. 175 Indian Ocean , p. 106
- ↑ a b Apache Northwest Pty Ltd: Simpson Oil Field Development, Offshore, Abutilon Island, Lowendal Islands, North West Shelf ( Memento of the original from July 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 635 kB). Retrieved September 22, 2010
- ↑ Information on birdlife.org . Retrieved September 21, 2010
- ↑ Kinhill Engineers. (1987) Harriet oilfield development: Varanus Island LPG extration plant: notice of intent Victoria Park, WA: Kinhill Engineers (Bond Corporation Pty. Ltd. (Petroleum Division))
- ^ Apache Corporation - Apache Reports Pipeline Rupture and Fire at Varanus Island Processing Hub Offshore Western Australia
- ^ Karen Hodge: Gas plant explosion exposes State's vulnerability , The West Australian . June 4, 2008. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008 Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 30, 2008.
