Offshore Decommissioning Is Increasingly Being Performed Across the Globe

Offshore Decommissioning

Offshore Decommissioning is the safe plugging of matured oil wells together with the disposal of the offshore oil production equipment. It involves a number of steps, including project management, engineering, and planning; along with this permitting and regulatory compliance; platform preparation; conductor removal; well plugging and abandonment; derrick barge mobilization; pipeline and power cable decommissioning; platform removal; materials disposal; and site clearance.

Options for Leaving Infrastructure on the Seafloor can be varying.  A leave-in-place Offshore Decommissioning option involves retaining a portion of an existing offshore platform in the water and allowing it to serve as a marine habitat for fish, invertebrates, and other organisms. It can be a valuable conservation decision and can improve the ecological and economic value of a decommissioned platform area.

In-situ Offshore Decommissioning, where an offshore platform is left in the water and converted into an artificial reef, is also an option. It can provide a number of environmental benefits, such as the creation of new and expanded habitats, improved fisheries management, and reduced costs to operators.

Whether or not an in-situ decommissioning option is appropriate, however, depends on the specifics of the project and its location in the ocean. Research is needed to evaluate the effects of various scenarios on the environment, including how a partial or complete removal of an infrastructure will impact biodiversity, productivity, and the conservation value of the area.

During operation, an oil and gas facility may discharge produced water (PW) into the ocean that is rich in organic carbon and nutrients, and potentially contains heavy metals, such as mercury. These substances can contaminate the surrounding ecosystem and affect its ability to function. This may negatively affect a variety of organisms, including marine life that rely on the PW as a source of food or to reproduce. The environmental impacts of discharging PW can vary widely, depending on the site and the ecosystem’s natural and anthropogenic characteristics. These environmental effects can have both direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity and productivity. In February 2021, Saipem, a multinational oilfield service firm received a contract from Qatargas, for the offshore development of the North Field Production sustainability project

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