Miners want PNG quarantine centres for FIFO workers

Big mining and energy companies with operations in PNG are in talks with governments to set up their own quarantine facilities for up to 100 fly-in-fly-out workers to return to Australia each week.

Oil Search managing director Keiran Wulff.

Big mining and energy companies with operations in Papua New Guinea are in talks with the federal, Queensland and Northern Territory governments to set up their own quarantine facilities for up to 100 fly-in-fly-out workers to return to Australia each week.

The ASX-listed Oil Search, which has about 50 FIFO workers trapped in PNG since Scott Morrison suspended charter flights to the country, said it needed to ensure its employees’ welfare and keep the company's operations going.

Oil Search managing director Keiran Wulff has met with Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja’s staff to try to broker a solution, following the virtual closure of the border to PNG amid the growing COVID crisis in the country.

“At the moment we don’t have an absolute clear plan for when we can get them home,” Mr Wulff said. “We are scheduling them in small lots about a move out of the country.

“We’re also trying to move some additional people into the country to provide support, because the length of time people are working creates potential fatigue, and that leads on to other issues around operational safety.”

Oil Search is also working with the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, which includes gas giant Exxon Mobil and miners Ok Tedi and Newcrest, to reach a solution.

Mr Wulff said the company already ran a strict COVID bubble in PNG, including a 10-day quarantine for foreign and domestic workers moving into Oil Search sites, which had enabled it to keep its operations COVID-free.

He said the major mining and energy companies operating in PNG hoped to create a similar quarantine bubble in Queensland or the NT to help turn their staff over.

“We’ve got a very clear and strict process to protect not only Australia from bringing it in but also protecting our operations,” Mr Wulff said.

“So what we’ve been talking to the Australian government about is what criteria can we put in place to ensure that FIFO workers can be accommodated to be able to move in and out.

“That includes things like having very clear testing protocols and ensuring the validity of tests.”

The Prime Minister suspended charter flights to PNG a fortnight ago, cancelled flights between PNG and Cairns, and reduced passenger caps from PNG into Brisbane.