The company announced late yesterday it had "reviewed the evolution of the market and the economics of this investment, and with availability of alternative technical solutions to execute our projects in Australia, Subsea 7 has taken the decision to no longer pursue the development." 

The plan was to construct pipeline bundles at an onshore facility in Learmonth, Western Australia, with each bundles containing lines, cables and wires, which would have been towed through the Ningaloo World Heritage area. 

Subsea 7 said it would now be withdrawing the referral assessment currently under review by the EPA.

"Australia is a key market for Subsea 7. Our capability and technology are ideally suited to this market and we remain focused on providing ongoing support to our clients," the company said. 

In August Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority was asked to provide advice on the proposed impact of current and planned work development in the Exmouth Gulf, including Subsea 7'S proposed fabrication facility. 

"The Exmouth Gulf is under increasing pressure from a range of activities and users and this is an opportunity to better understand the potential impacts before any significant development gets underway,"  state environment minister Stephen Dawson said at the time. 

Around the same time, the federal government cut seven nominations from its latest acreage release for offshore operators after pushback over inclusion of blocks in the Ningaloo Reef, Shark Bay and other sensitive areas. 

The project was vehemently opposed by environmental groups, with Protect Ningaloo director Paul Gamblin saying Subsea 7's withdrawal was a cause for celebration. 

"The tens of thousands of people who took a stand, sent a submission, emailed their MPs, bought a T-shirt or helped in innumerable other ways; this is your day and you should feel really good about what you've made happen," he said.  

Last week, The Ningaloo Coast World Heritage area's status was downgraded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Outlook from ‘good' to ‘good, with some concerns', pointing the finger at climate change as the leading reason for this classification. 

The report also said that potential oil and gas developments also continue to be among the most prominent potential threats.