Technical preparedness in Southeast Asia region for onshore dismantling of offshore structures: gaps and opportunities

Abstract

An onshore dismantling yard is an important part in the supply chain of the offshore oil and gas decommissioning industry. However, despite having more than 500 offshore structures to be decommissioned in the Southeast Asia region, there are a very limited number of well-equipped dismantling yards to fully execute the onshore dismantling. Recent investigations discovered that shipbuilding and offshore structure fabrication yards are still potential options for upgrades to include dismantling. Despite the huge potential opportunities from upgrading to dismantling, research studies on this area are relatively scarce, and most past studies mainly focused on the North Sea region. To date, the potential opportunities of Southeast Asia and Malaysia yards to develop onshore dismantling capability are still unclear. The aim of this study is to identify the criteria to develop a technical preparedness checklist to evaluate an onshore dismantling yard; consequently, this will assist with assessing and bridging the gaps and identify the opportunity of developing an onshore dismantling yard in Southeast Asia region. Requirements for onshore dismantling and related rules and regulations have been investigated and summarized in the form of checklist. Findings from this study can help local oil and gas operators to pursue more local solutions and resilient supply chain performance.