Quadrant Northwest Pty Ltd (Quadrant) proposes to undertake the Hockey and Bianchi 3D Marine Seismic Survey (MSS) in Commonwealth waters on the North West Shelf (NWS) of Western Australia (WA).  The MSSs will take approximately 60 days and could take place at any time of year between October 2016 and December 2018.  The validity of the EP will remain until 31st December 2018.
This EP covers marine seismic surveys (MSS) and associated activities and related environmental risks occurring within the operational area. Associated activities includes, as appropriate, refuelling and resupply, use of support vessel and crew changes. The scope does not include those periods when the seismic and support vessels are not engaged in any MSS or associated activities, such as during cyclone avoidance, vessel mobilisation and demobilisation to and from the survey area, maintenance outside of the survey area and port calls.
The MSSs will consist of a ‘survey area’ and a larger ‘operational area’. The survey area is located entirely within Commonwealth waters and is defined by that area which contains full-fold seismic coverage for the purpose of imaging the subsurface. The survey vessel will not enter state waters at any point during the activity. The operational area is used for conducting operations ancillary to achieving full-fold coverage within the survey area. Activities conducted in the operational area may include: acoustic emissions at full power on sail line ‘run-outs’; acoustic emissions below full power for the purpose of ‘soft start’ or ‘fauna alert’ procedures; miscellaneous maintenance operations; and, vessel turns at the end of each sail line, necessary for the vessel to change to a new sail line.   The MSSs will acquire data in two operational areas; Hockey and Bianchi. For the purpose of this EP, the operational area will contain both Hockey and Bianchi operational areas. 
At its nearest point, the operational area is located 5.5 km, 13 km and 11.5 km east of Barrow Island, the Lowendal Islands and Montebello Island respectively. Airlie and Thevenard islands are located 26 km and 33km south of the operational area respectively.  The nearest point on the mainland is Onslow found 54 km south of the operational area. Water depths in the operational area range from 20 m to 830 m, however the vessel will not enter waters depths less than 30 m.