Charting new waters

This month we sat down with Wang Wei Lau, a Project Manager who is spearheading Monadelphous’ first venture into offshore decommissioning.

Wang Wei began his career with Monadelphous as a Senior Project Engineer on the Gorgon Project for Chevron back in 2014. Reflecting on his career journey so far, he has been extremely fortunate to have been able to work in various roles onshore and offshore, from hook-up & commissioning, brownfields, maintenance to turnarounds with Monadelphous.

He said they were a fantastic learning opportunity where he gained valuable insights into all facets of project management. The most significant of all being the importance of having the right team and relevant support system around yourself.

Wang Wei is currently working on the decommissioning of the Northern Endeavour FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) vessel, an ageing 274-meter oil production vessel anchored 550 km northwest of Darwin. This contract is significant for Monadelphous as it is a crucial first step into the fast-growing decommissioning industry in Australia.

The project kicked off in September 2022, and since then, there has been significant amounts of discovery scope in which his team had to navigate. It was important for the team to remain agile and rise to the challenges.

“The primary challenge we are currently addressing is ensuring the facility's structural integrity for safe towing. We have entered a phase focused on extensive repairs and remediation,” he said.

“After months of planning and preparation, our welding team mobilised last month to commence renewing and repairing structural anomalies inside the hull and ballast tanks.

“This is high risk work in confined spaces, but I am confident that the team have the right mindset and training to execute the work safely and to a high standard.”

Beyond his demanding role as Project Manager, Wang Wei finds downtime with his two young children, treasuring the smaller moments spent with them. When he isn’t spending time with his family, he enjoys indoor rock climbing and the occasional hike.

"I have a six-year-old and an eight-year-old who keep me very busy, but I cherish spending time with them – family is everything,” he said.