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GX Technology / Ion Geophysical Corporation — Westralia SPAN 2D Seismic

Survey

Environment Plan: Public Summary

Introduction

This document is a summary of the Environment Plan (EP) for a two dimensional (2D) marine seismic

survey proposed by GX Technology / Ion Geophysical Corporation (GXT / Ion), within Commonwealth

waters off the coast north from Jurien Bay in Western Australia across the Timor Sea and into the Arafura

Sea (Figure 1). This public summary is submitted to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and

Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), as required by Regulations 11(7) and 11(8) of the

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009 and the

Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (OPGGS Act).

Description of the Action

The petroleum activity proposed by GXT / Ion is a seismic survey in Commonwealth waters comprising

the acquisition of seismic data along 28 seismic lines, and transit between seismic lines. One seismic

vessel and one support vessel will be involved with the survey.

The coordinates and length of each seismic line are listed in Table 1.

Table 1: Coordinates and Lengths of the Seismic Lines (WGS84, DD)

Seismic Line Seismic Line

Length (km) Longitude – Start Longitude – End Latitude – Start Latitude – End

AU1-0200 181 113.54445678900 114.76331249800 -30.64229106030 -29.41207344990

AU1-0300 147 113.62698574600 112.40388638300 -28.63288750870 -29.39743283040

AU1-0400 264 113.58848495800 111.08509500100 -27.07903202630 -27.89971805380

AU1-0500 256 112.46023364100 110.43175973800 -25.46999310660 -26.88458582900

AU1-0600 240 110.42506655000 112.47854300000 -24.48735866090 -25.58706600000

AU1-0700 155 111.96131824300 113.46612659700 -22.74732510250 -22.90345393120

AU1-0800 311 111.04333257200 113.54641857900 -20.74221516040 -22.18670803510

AU1-1050 529 114.24092012900 109.96774758700 -21.55845460610 -18.99251389140

AU1-1500 556 111.20608891600 115.18055869500 -17.65764486460 -20.97118110780

AU1-1850 729 117.90947979100 111.85979594300 -20.32593989090 -17.14336927810

AU1-2100 588 117.70994800000 114.91122168000 -20.37139200000 -15.79435429680

AU1-3000 436 120.34542472300 117.95654209000 -19.71722385020 -16.50410807830

AU1-3500 465 118.22198020100 122.04032459700 -15.49410499410 -17.52698405210

AU1-3700 546 119.50323077200 123.62081978200 -12.78503971510 -15.65260988490

AU1-4300 457 124.77928254800 121.17234085300 -14.57319380610 -12.42676772910

AU1-4500 428 125.87318326600 122.54783421800 -13.70737173820 -11.62579537540

AU1-4800 317 126.19726730700 124.40304078700 -13.50343244950 -11.24015153540

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Seismic Line Seismic Line

Length (km) Longitude – Start Longitude – End Latitude – Start Latitude – End

AU1-5000 318 127.34324860800 129.83237606600 -13.58772527990 -12.08524024010

AU1-5600 71 128.40249942500 127.86932150500 -11.20747957930 -10.83838127460

AU1-5700 (Part 1) 56 125.96689600000 126.26380924000 -10.48246800000 -10.89466490350

AU1-5700 (Part 2) 428 126.62897759800 129.06228822100 -11.32630208710 -14.37145391070

AU1-6000 296 129.91472509200 128.14393401700 -11.44480974250 -9.41658411137

AU1-6500 622 135.95775295200 130.67338882000 -11.36571953420 -9.33110088591

AU1-7000 (Part 1) 971 110.35752150400 119.31708766600 -19.93604150660 -18.86045895810

AU1-7000 (Part 2) 1881 119.31708766600 132.29717178100 -18.86045895810 -9.05633580661

AU1-7400 870 114.66630028400 110.51787641700 -30.92806770640 -24.23946952260

AU1-7500 (Part 1) 204 129.84226537200 128.12411282400 -9.41488447367 -10.12789809050

AU1-7500 (Part 2) 1758 126.08681391300 113.95723138800 -10.60465660400 -20.91658403340

AU1-7515 422 113.22350669600 110.46076935300 -21.98304271810 -24.71060280170

AU1-7600 657 115.61610312100 112.07495970400 -16.61256870250 -21.42728165050

AU1-9000 915 113.03071493200 113.35626600400 -15.65717541750 -23.43100983720

The survey will be undertaken by the seismic contractor, Seabird Exploration, and will image the seabed

subsurface geology along each seismic line through the acquisition of 2D marine seismic data. Seabird

Exploration will undertake the survey using the specialist seismic vessel the MV Aquila Explorer towing

seismic equipment in one direction along each seismic line.

The seismic energy source will be provided by a single four string airgun array comprised of a BOLT

1900LLXT tuned airgun, with a total capacity of 6,300 cubic inches. The array will be towed astern of the

survey vessel at a depth of approximately 10 metres (m) and the airguns will be discharged at a seismic

pulse interval of 50 m. The vessel will acquire data at a speed of approximately 5 knots. The vessel may

reach speeds of up to 11 knots when transiting between seismic lines.

The seismic survey is scheduled to commence in late November or December 2012, subject to vessel

availability, and will take approximately 110 days to complete, depending on weather conditions, and

operational efficiency. All seismic survey activities are anticipated to be completed by 30 April 2013. The

survey will be conducted 24 hours per day.

Description of the Receiving Environment

Physical Environment

The survey will span three marine bioregions of Australia; the North Marine Region, the North West

Marine Region and the South West Marine Region.

Biological Environment

The North Marine Region consists of sandy sediments of coastal waters less than 30 m deep, and is

dominated by sessile filter feeding species plus deeper muddier sediments, dominated by benthic

scavengers and deposit feeders. The North West Marine Region is dominated by soft sediment seabeds

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(sandy and muddy substrata) with occasional patches of coarser sediments. Benthic fauna across the

continental shelf margin and slope is expected to be sparse and display a low diversity. Coral reefs are

present at Scott, Seringapatam and Ashmore reef plus over half of the total area of banks and shoals

across Australia’s entire marine jurisdiction occurs in this region.

The South West Marine Region includes the South West Shelf Transition and the deeper waters of the

Central Western Province. The inner shelf consists of distinct ridges of limestone reef with extensive beds

of macroalgae supporting diverse assemblages of infauna and epifauna. The area also has inshore

lagoons with a diverse range of fauna. Benthic communities on the outer shelf and shelf break are

dominated by filter feeding sponges and bryozoans on hard substrate bottoms. Reefs are present at

Houtman Abrolhos Islands and display diverse benthic assemblages. Little is known about deep-water

benthic habitats and communities in this region.

Some marine fauna species with broad distributions such as cetaceans, fish, sharks, marine turtles and

seabirds may traverse the survey area, at least on occasion. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity

Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) Protected Matters Database indicates 59 listed Threatened/Migratory

species and seven other Migratory species could occur within the survey area.

These include:

Twenty seven bird species

Sixteen mammal species

Eight reptile species

Eight shark species

The survey area does not contain recognised critical habitat for any listed Threatened or Migratory fauna

and the survey has been scheduled to avoid periods when Threatened whales migrate through the

region, and when whale sharks aggregate at Ningaloo Reef. The Threatened and Migratory species

identified to occur within the survey area are considered to have widespread distributions throughout the

region.

Several other species of marine mammal are present within the three bioregions but due to a combination

of seasonal migration periods, preferred inshore or shallow habitats and widespread distribution the

possibility of encounters is expected to be low.

Migration and nesting activity of all species of marine turtles in WA generally occurs between September

and April, and the survey overlaps with peak nesting periods for several species in the region. The survey

will be conducted entirely in Commonwealth waters, generally more than 35 km offshore and in deep

waters, remote from environmentally sensitive areas. Survey lines will not approach closer than 13 km to

land and acquisition will not occur in shallow areas (< 30 m) that might represent feeding habitat. Low

numbers of turtles may be encountered in the vicinity of the survey with six species potentially transiting

through the waters adjacent to the survey during their migrations.

Socio-Economic Environment

The offshore region of the North West Shelf (NWS) supports petroleum exploration and production,

shipping, and low levels of commercial fishing. Recreational or game fishing is also known to occur within

the region.

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Petroleum

The petroleum exploration and production industry is a significant stakeholder in the region. A number of

installations and facilities are within the survey area, including:

Bayu-Undan platform

Puffin Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility.

Blacktip platform

Wandoo development

Enfield development

Vincent development

Woollybut development

Stybarrow development

Griffin development

Pyrenees development.

Goodwyn platform

North Rankin platform

Angel platform

John Brookes platform

Stag platform

Petrel gas field.

Fisheries

Consultation with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and the WA/NT state fisheries

departments indicates that several Commonwealth and state managed fisheries are permitted to fish in or

adjacent to the survey area, including:

Commonwealth Managed Fisheries

o Northern Prawn Fishery

o Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery

o North-West Slope Trawl Fishery

o Southern Blue Fin Fishery

o Western Deep Water Trawl Fishery

o Western Skipjack Tuna Fishery

Western Australian Managed Fisheries

o Northern Prawn Managed Fisheries

o North Coast Demersal (Pilbara Trap and Pilbara Line Managed Fisheries)

o Northern Demersal Scalefish Managed Fishery (Kimberley)

o Mackerel Managed

o West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery

o Abrolhos Islands and Mid West Trawl Managed Fishery

o Shark Bay Prawn and Scallop Managed Fisheries

o West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery

o Gascoyne Demersal Scalefish Fishery

o West Coast Demersal Gillnet and Demersal Longline Fishery

o West Coast Deep Sea Crab

Northern Territory Managed Fisheries

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o Demersal Fishery

o Finfish Trawl Fishery

o Offshore Net and Line Fishery

o Spanish Mackerel Fishery

o Timor Reef Fishery.

Shipping

A density analysis of shipping traffic using 2010 AUSREP data indicates considerable shipping traffic in

the vicinity of the survey, with the seismic lines crossing several major shipping routes. The busiest of

these on the NWS are routes to the trading ports of Dampier, Hedland and Walcott. The major shipping

route in northern Australia is to the port of Darwin, and based on 2010 AUSREP data this route is less

busy than those on the NWS.

Defence Areas

Several offshore training areas including the North West Exercise Area, North Australia Exercise Area

and Learmonth Air Weapons Range occur in the vicinity of seismic lines. Military flying training areas will

not be impacted by the survey as helicopter flights will not be required except in the case of an

emergency.

World Heritage Areas

There are two World Heritage Areas in the vicinity of the survey:

Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area (approximately 12 km from the nearest survey lines)

Shark Bay World Heritage Area (approximately 39 km from the nearest survey line).

National Heritage Areas

Five places within the region of the survey are listed on the National Heritage list:

The Ningaloo Coast (approximately 12 km from the nearest seismic lines)

Dampier Archipelago including Burrup Peninsula (approximately 55 km from the nearest seismic line)

Shark Bay (approximately 39 km from the nearest seismic line)

The West Kimberley (approximately 3 km from the nearest seismic line)

The Batavia Shipwreck Site and Survivor Camps Area 1629 – Houtman Abrolhos (approximately

23 km from the nearest seismic line).

Marine Protected Areas

The seismic lines do not overlap with any marine protected areas. There are four Commonwealth Marine

Reserves and seven State Marine Parks and Marine Management Areas within the region of the survey.

Commonwealth Marine Reserves include:

Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve (located approximately 10 km from the nearest seismic line)

Cartier Island Marine Reserve (located approximately 12 km from the nearest seismic line)

Mermaid Reef Marine National Reserve (located approximately 56 km from the nearest seismic line)

The Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters, located approximately 12 km from the nearest

survey lines).

The seven State Marine Parks and Management Areas within the region of the survey are:

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Rowley Shoals Marine Park (located approximately 3 km from the nearest seismic line)

Ningaloo Marine Park (located approximately 16 km from the nearest seismic line)

Muiron Islands Marine Management Area (located approximately 6.5 km from the nearest seismic

line)

Barrow Island Marine Park and Marine Management Area. (located on the west coast of Barrow

Island, approximately 11 km from the nearest seismic line)

Montebello Islands Marine Park (located approximately 55 km from the nearest seismic line)

Jurien Bay Marine Park (located approximately 45 km from the nearest seismic line)

Abrolhos Island Fish Habitat Protection Zone (closest Reef Observation Area located approximately

17 km from the nearest seismic line).

Proposed Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas

No proposed Marine National Park or Habitat Protection zones will be entered by the survey. Eight

proposed Commonwealth reserves will be traversed by the survey, however only in proposed multiple

use zones:

Arafura Marine Reserve

Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Marine Reserve

Oceanic Shoals Marine Reserve

Kimberley Marine Reserve

Argo-Rowley Terrace Marine Reserve

Eighty Mile Beach Marine Reserve

Gascoyne Marine Reserve

Abrolhos Reserve.

Proposed State Marine Parks

All proposed state marine parks and management areas occur in state waters and therefore outside the

limits of the survey.

Wetlands

The only wetland of significance within the vicinity of the survey is Ashmore Reef, located 10 km away,

which was designated as a Ramsar wetland site in 2003. The survey will not enter the Ashmore Reef

National Nature Reserve.

Major Environmental Hazards, Controls and Management Approach

Risk analysis has been undertaken for all aspects of the survey, in accordance with the procedures

outlined in the Australian and New Zealand Standards AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 – Risk management –

Principles and guidelines and HB 203:2012 (Managing Environment – Related Risk), using the GXT / Ion

risk matrix. The risk analysis has been used to determine consequence, severity and likelihood, and to

evaluate the environmental risks.

The majority of risks associated with the survey have been determined to be “insignificant” or “low”, due to

the short duration of the survey at any given location, and the nature of the seismic survey operations. All

risks were mitigated to ALARP, and thereby considered acceptable under the GXT / Ion Hazard

Identification and Risk Assessment Standard.

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Table 2: Summary of Major Environmental Aspects / Hazards and Sources of Risks

Aspect / Hazard Sources of Risk Acoustic pulse for seismic data acquisition

Increased levels of underwater noise.

Physical Presence

Ballast water exchange

Biofouling of the vessel

Biofouling of seismic equipment

Vessel collision resulting in hydrocarbon spill

Waste, Discharges and Emissions Solid and hazardous wastes disposal

Spill Response Incorrect disposal of used cleanup materials

Table 3: Summary of Management Measures

Aspect / Hazard Mitigation / Management Measures to Reduce Risk

Acoustic pulse for seismic data acquisition

Seismic operations will be conducted in accordance with the Standard Management Procedures as described in the EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1 Part A.

In addition, the following EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1 Part B Additional Management Procedures will be implemented for this survey:

Dedicated watch will be maintained for marine fauna by an experienced Marine Fauna Observer (MFO) (or appointed and trained crew member in the absence of an MFO). MFO will advise appropriate adaptive management responses to any sightings.

The seismic array will shut down if three whale-instigated shutdowns in 24 hours occur on specific seismic lines.

In addition to the management procedures for night-time operations contained in Part A of EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1, a low power mitigation gun (e.g. single gun) will be also be utilised in the event of any interruptions to night-time operations. Other management to be implemented for the survey includes:

Survey will be conducted outside of the humpback whale migration season in the North West Marine Region (June to November).

Specific seismic lines will be acquired in December 2012 and January 2013, before the whale shark aggregation (March to July).

No seismic operations will be conducted in water < 30 m depth or 13 km from land.

Responsibilities for visual monitoring, responding to sightings and recording pertinent details of sightings of marine fauna will be clearly communicated to the Vessel Party Chief and crew at pre-survey meetings. Survey crew will be fully briefed regarding appropriate response to sighting and associated reporting required.

Physical Presence

No discharge of ballast water during survey, however if required discharge when > 12 n miles from land.

Ballast water log on board.

Topsides and hull inspection of survey vessel completed by expert prior to entering Australian waters.

Vessel will obtain all necessary AQIS clearance to operate unrestricted anywhere in Australian waters.

Antifouling certification available on board.

Inspection of seismic equipment by an expert prior to entering Australian waters. Any necessary cleaning required will be undertaken before equipment immersed in Australian waters.

Regular cleaning of seismic equipment during the survey.

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Aspect / Hazard Mitigation / Management Measures to Reduce Risk Notice to Mariners issued.

Vessels operated by accredited seamen in accordance with all maritime standards and regulations.

Vessels equipped with sophisticated navigation equipment.

Low speed (5 knots when acquiring data) of vessel.

The Master of the survey vessel will provide daily situation reports to the AMSA Rescue Coordination Centre.

AMSA Rescue Coordination Centre will issue radio warning to shipping.

Watch keepers in wheelhouse 24/7.

In the event of a spill, the SOPEP will be activated and for larger spills, AMSA will be notified and coordinate a spill response in accordance with the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (AMSA 2011).

Response drills/training of crew.

Waste, Discharges and Emissions

Comply with Seabird Exploration’s Garbage Management Plan.

No disposal overboard.

Burnable items will be incinerated on board.

Glass, cans, metal will be compacted and stored on board.

Incinerator ash compacted, bagged and stored on board.

All stored material to be disposed of onshore at a licensed waste management facility or recycled.

Induction/awareness training of crew on Garbage Management Plan.

Spill Response

Removal of all clean-up materials from the ocean or deck and appropriately store onboard.

Absorbent materials used in spill clean-up will be incinerated or sent ashore for recycling or disposal.

Compliance with SOPEP.

Specific management and mitigation measures will be implemented to minimise the disturbance to any

fauna species sensitive to increased underwater noise levels which may be encountered within the area

during the survey operations. Given the short duration of the survey in any one area, its timing and the

management measures to be implemented, significant impacts on marine fauna are not anticipated.

All domestic wastes will be treated in an environmentally responsible manner and in accordance with the

vessel’s Garbage Management Plan (AQU-MA-0002) and the requirements of the Protection of the Sea

(Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983. Although some temporary and localised increases in

nutrient levels may result at the discharge point, the large expanses of open waters will dilute the

discharges and adverse environmental effects are extremely unlikely. The likely effects on water quality

would be highly localised and temporary.

A summary of key aspects / hazards, sources of risks and management measures are summarised in

Tables 2 and 3. The seismic survey will be conducted in accordance with all legislative and regulatory

requirements. GXT / Ion’s overall environmental objective for the survey is to avoid or minimise

environmental risks to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

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Consultation

Consultations regarding the survey have been undertaken with relevant stakeholders, including:

Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory

Austral Fisheries

Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association

Australian Customs Service (Coast Watch)

Australian Fisheries Management Authority

Australian Hydrographic Office

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (Maritime Operations Division and Emergency Response Division)

A. Raptis and Sons

Border Protection Command

Commonwealth Fisheries Association

Department of Defence (Cwlth)

Department of Fisheries (WA)

Department of Mines and Petroleum (WA)

Department of Resources (NT)

Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT)

Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (Cwlth)

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (Cwlth)

JAMACLAN Marine Services (representing Commonwealth Trawl operators including Westmore

Seafoods)

Gary Kessel (NT Fishing trawler operator)

Northern Fishing Companies Association

Northern Prawn Fishery (Qld) Trawl Association

Northern Territory Guided Fishing Industry Association

Northern Territory Seafood Council

Northern Territory Trawler Owners Association

NPF Industry Pty Ltd

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Recfishwest

TunaWest

Western Australian Fishing Industry Council

Western Australian Northern Trawl Owners Association

Western Australian Seafoods

Western Rock Lobster Council.

Future Consultation Prior to the commencement of the survey GXT / Ion will notify: NOPSEMA at least 48 hours before the survey start date

Border Protection Command no less than 14 days before the start date

The Australian Hydrographic Office no less than two weeks before the start date

AMSA in relation to spill response resources mobilisation

All stakeholders of the survey to advise of the start date and contact details for communications

during the survey.

Department of Defence to advise on the final line locations and timing

Daily situation reports will be provided to the AMSA Rescue Coordination Centre by the master of the vessel

The Department of Defence will be consulted prior to the conduct of survey operations offshore of Exmouth and liaison will continue to ensure the survey and Defence activities do not conflict.

Contact Details

Steve Pickering

BasinSPAN Program Development – Asia/Pacific

GX Technology / Ion Geophysical Corporation

Telephone: 0417 980 234

steve.pickering@iongeo.com

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W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I AW E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A

N O R T H E R NN O R T H E R NT E R R I T O R YT E R R I T O R Y

S O U T HS O U T HA U S T R A L I AA U S T R A L I A

Q U E E N S L A N DQ U E E N S L A N D

AU1-7000

AU1-7

500

AU1-7400

AU1-9000

AU1-1850 AU1-7

600

AU1-6500

AU1-2100

AU1-1500

AU1-3700

AU1-1050

AU1-3500

AU1-4300

AU1-3000

AU1-4500 AU1-5700

AU1-7515

AU1-5000

AU1-0800

AU1-4800

AU1-6000

AU1-0400

AU1-0500

AU1-0600

AU1-0200

AU1-0700

AU1-0300

AU1-5600

AU1-7500

AU1-5700

DARWIN

BROOME

DAMPIER

SHARK BAYCARNARVON

JURIEN BAY

SCOTT REEF

EXMOUTH GULF

PORT HEDLAND

CAMDEN SOUND

BATHURST ISLAND

NORTH WEST CAPE

Sources: Esri, GEBCO, NOAA, CHS, CSUMB, National Geographic, DeLorme, and NAVTEQ

Figure 1Proposed Seismic Survey0 125 250 375 50062.5

km°

Job Number : M12070301Date: 10.10.12Scale: Not to Scale @ A3Revision: 2Drafted by: MASource: Base Map - Esri online Coastal Waters - Geoscience Australia Turtle Data - SWOT 2011 & DEC Draft Marine Turtle Recovery Plan 09-16 No.45

38 Station Street, Subiaco | T +61 8 92111111 | F +61 8 92111122 | www.rpsgroup.com.au

LEGENDProposed Timing of Seismic Lines

November 2012December 2012January 2013February 2013March 2013

World Maritime Boundaries3 n mile Coastal Limit200 n mile Exclusive Economic ZoneTreatyThe Australia-IndonesiaMemorandum of Understanding1975 (Traditional Fishing) - MOUJoint Petroleum Development Area