Offshore platform decommissioning

Abstract

Offshore facilities decommissioning is a relevant issue in oil and gas industry. Many of offshore structures in Malaysia are fast approaching the 30 years design lives and hence reaching the end of its economic lifetime. The project no longer generates profit and options for extending the life of the field has been exhausted. Hence, the well needs to be abandoned and the structures have to be decommissioned. In Malaysia for instance, have approximately more than 300 oil and gas platforms and more than 90% of these platforms have to be decommissioned in the future. So far, there are only a few platforms have been decommissioned due to the fact that there is lack of regulatory framework in Malaysia. However, Malaysia follows the guidelines provided by its national oil company, PETRONAS which is the PETRONAS Procedures and Guidelines for Upstream Activities (PPGUA). Malaysia also follows good and modern international guidelines such as the United Nations Convention of The Law of The Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, the London Dumping Convention 1972/1996 and also the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Guidelines and Standards. Abandonment and decommissioning process consist of activities such as Well Plugging and abandonment, Pipeline Abandonment, Conductor removal, topsides removal, and substructures removal and disposal. However, there are challenges in performing decommissioning operations namely HSE challenges, financial challenges, technical and technology challenges. In spite of these challenges, there are three decommissioning options and alternatives such as leave platform in place, partial removal and complete removal of platform. Last but not least, the decommissioning sector needs to find good solutions in order to overcome the above challenges and also gain in knowledge to help eliminate the challenges. The operations need to be comply with national and international laws and regulations. Various weak points and lessons to be learned will be identified. Hence, decommissioning regulatory landscape in Malaysia need to be improved in order to satisfy the oil industry operators and other users of the sea.