New study reveals key factors for estimating costs to plug abandoned oil and gas wells
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain In an analysis of over 19,500 orphaned oil and gas wells across the United States, scholars at Resources for the Future…
Category: Oil and Gas Decommissioning
UK govt oil revenues fall 70% as price crash and decommissioning take effect
© Robert Perry/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock UK government revenues from oil and gas taxes have plummeted by more than 70% due to effects of the recent price crash…
Every port should harbour aspirations for real change
Lerwick Harbour is the principal commercial port for Shetland and a key component in the islands’ economy The future of Scotland’s Green Ports is inextricably…
Aberdeen’s Ardyne extends well decommissioning technology partnership with Equinor
© Supplied by Fifth Ring Alan Fairweather, Ardyne CEO Aberdeen-headquartered energy services firm Ardyne has agreed a second join industry project with Norwegian giant Equinor.…
Integrated decommissioning firm Fairfield Decom has confirmed it has ceased trading with immediate effect.
Graeme Fergusson, managing director, Fairfield Decom Integrated decommissioning firm Fairfield Decom has confirmed it has ceased trading with immediate effect. In a statement, the company’s…
Taqa ‘poised for significant decommissioning activity’
© Coen de Jong/ Taqa The world’s largest crane vessels. Thialf and Sleipnir, met at Brae Bravo earlier this year ahead of a decom campaign.…
Exxon loses to Apache in High Court battle on £100m decommissioning bill
Apache’s Beryl Alpha platform. Exxon Mobil has lost out in a High Court battle against Apache with “far reaching implications” for North Sea decommissioning. The…
Cookstown engineering firm Decom eyes private equity backed growth drive
Decom’s Sean Conway, Matthew Drumm and Nick McNally. A CO Tyrone engineering firm has said it will create 10 jobs over the next 12 to…
Cluster of North Sea decommissioning contracts on the way
© Premier Oil/ Linkedin Harbour Energy said the Balmoral platform will be towed away for dismantling this month. A raft of North Sea decommissioning contracts…
DECOM: Ardyne, Dynasty Energy Services Team on P&A Efficiencies
Image courtesy Dynasty Energy Services Ardyne, the Aberdeen and Norway-based fishing, milling and casing recovery provider, has announced a strategic partnership with Dynasty Energy Services,…
Maersk Decom Launches Free Offshore Decommissioning Cost Calculator
Credit: kithanlea/AdobeStock Denmark-based Maersk Decom said Tuesday it has designed a free cost calculating tool for benchmarking decommissioning projects in the North Sea. “Maersk Decom’s…
World’s largest construction vessel, Pioneer Spirit, off East Lothian coastline
The Iron Lady makes her way along the River Forth. ..Picture: Peter Devlin. A REMARKABLE marine operation has taken place off the coast of East…
Pioneering Spirit: Largest construction vessel in world captured on camera during major operation in Forth
Many, including David Collins and Brian Finch, caught the event on camera when the Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit travelled across the Forth to transfer its cargo…
Petronas Unit Awards Celtic Sea Decom Contract
A unit of Petronas has awarded HydraWell a multi-year contract to support a decommissioning project. PHOTO SOURCE: HydraWell Petronas (KLSE: PETGAS) subsidiary PSE Kinsale Energy…
Hiretech Investment Adds Nitrogen Pumps To Rental Offering
Hiretech Limited is further expanding its rental fleet offering with the addition of two 180k Zone 2 nitrogen pumping unitsas part of a £1million CAPEX…
Alpha Petroleum submits decommissioning plans for North Sea platform
© Alpha Petroleum Alpha Petroleum has handed in decommissioning plans for its Wenlock platform in the North Sea. A normally unmanned installation was put in…
Aker Solutions Awarded Work to Recycle Offshore Platforms in Norway
March 18, 2021 – Aker Solutions has signed a sizeable(1) letter of intent with Heerema Marine Contractors for decommissioning work related to the Heimdal and…
Equinor awards contracts for North Sea decommissioning work
The Veslefrikk platform has been operating since 1989 (source: Equinor/Øyvind Hagen) Norwegian energy company Equinor has awarded Netherlands-based Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) contracts for removal,…
World’s largest ship gets lifting-system upgrade
A new jacket-lifting system is being installed on the stern of Pioneering Spirit to enhance its lifting capability (source: Allseas) Allseas will upgrade the heavy-lift…
Supply chain webinar launches new decommissioning framework contract
The webinar will be held next month and is part of the company’s ongoing engagement with the supply chain as it drives forward its decommissioning…
Well Plugging Starts in Pioneering North Sea Field
Plugging operations began last month in conjunction with the planned shutdown of the Veslefrikk field. PHOTO SOURCE: Øyvind Hagen/Equinor Plugging operations began last month in…
Reflex Marine Focused on Increasing Safety in Offshore Decommissioning
Reflex Marine continue to share knowledge and improve standards of safety across the offshore industry with their series of live webinars. In February, they explore…
California Decommissioning Project Hits Oil Well Abandonment Milestone
(Source: California State Lands Commission) Your browser does not support the audio element. The state of California recently hit a milestone in a decommissioning project…
Petrofac secured decommissioning contract with PTTEP in Australia
Petrofac Offshore engineering specialist Petrofac has secured a well project management contract with PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) for operations in Australia. Under the contract,…
Harbour is quay to a new era
Work underway, above, on the new harbour. It will be the largest berthage port in Scotland, able to accommodate vessels of up to 1000ft in…
CNR International seeks contractor partner for mass North Sea decommissioning campaign
© Kishorn Port Subsea work on Banff and Kyle, formerly served by the Petrojarl Banff (pictured) is also expected to come to market this year.…
Decommissioning projects drive utilisation of heavy-lift fleet
Pioneering Spirit employs single-lift technology to facilitate platform removals (source: Allseas) Decommissioning activity was brisk in 2020, led by offshore infrastructure removals in the North…
Ørsted-led consortium researching blade decommissioning
The new DecomBlades consortium will aim to make Denmark a ‘frontrunner’ in establishing recycling solutions within the wind industry Blade manufacturer LM Wind Power is…
The new use for abandoned oil rigs
As offshore oil and gas platforms come to the end of their working lives, the remarkable ecosystems beneath the waves come into their own. T…
SpaceX Will Repurpose Oil Rigs To Build A Starship Spaceport At Sea
SpaceX is planning to use oil rigs to build a Starship Spaceport at sea in South Texas. Tesmanian reminded its readers the goal of SpaceX…
Teekay’s Banff FPSO to be decommissioned in Denmark
© Courtesy submitted by Kishorn Port The Banff FPSO arriving at Kishorn Port, in September. Teekay’s Banff floating production, offloading and storage vessel (FPSO) will…
Long-awaited UK Government decommissioning paper lacks clarity on key issues
© Courtesy Rory Gillies/Shetland F The Ninian Northern arriving in Lerwick for decom work last year. A long-awaited UK Government paper into oil and gas…
Pioneering Spirit to Remove Two Morecambe Bay Platforms
(Photo: Spirit Energy) Allseas’ giant heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit will remove the DP3 and DP4 platforms in Morecambe Bay off the U.K. for independent…
Spirit Energy gas platforms to be dismantled in Fife
An artist’s impression of CessCon Decom’s facility in Energy Park Fife. A Scottish firm has clinched its maiden contract for dismantling offshore platforms at a…
Montrose positions itself for decommissioning work
MONTROSE Port has strengthened its case for picking up work linked to oil and gas decommissioning activity in the North Sea, writes Scott Wright. The…
Repsol Sinopec hands in decom plans, but offshore work years away
Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK) has handed in decommissioning programmes for the Fulmar and Auk North fields to the UK Government. But well plugging and…
OGA launches online resource to help kick-start decommissioning campaigns
The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has provided one centralised location for well data related to decommissioning. The data, which is already publicly available, has…
North Sea operators shelve half a billion pounds of decommissioning spend: OGUK
© Able UK Brent Alpha arriving at Able UK’s Seaton port in Teesside earlier this year for dismantling. North Sea operators have shelved more than…
Petronas subsidiary says decommissioning gas fields offshore Ireland
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 19): Petroliam Nasional Bhd’s (Petronas) wholly-owned subsidiary PSE Kinsale Energy Ltd is decommissioning its gas fields in the Kinsale Area in the…
AGR Starts Decom Works on Kinsale Field Offshore Ireland
Kinsale Bravo – Image Credit: PSE Kinsale Energy (File Photo) Energy services company AGR has started decommissioning operations of Ireland’s first indigenous gas wells in…
New tool for slashing well decom costs aces first live test in North Sea
© Supplied by isol8 Andrew Louden, CEO of isol8. An Aberdeen start-up firm’s technology for slashing oil well decommissioning costs has passed its first North…
HMRC boosts projected decommissioning tax relief for oil firms by £1.1billion
© Allseas Removal of the CNR Ninian Northern platform earlier this year. CNR is among the firms with the largest decom bills through to 2030.…
Decom timing frustrations forcing North Sea firms to look overseas
© Able UK Brent Alpha arriving at Able UK’s Seaton port in Teesside for dismantling. Frustrated by uncertainty around project schedules offshore UK, North Sea…
Well decommissioning campaigns a ‘massive opportunity’, OGA says
Pauline Innes, head of decommissioning at the Oil and Gas Authority. Adopting a campaign approach to well decommissioning in the UK North Sea is the…
Continuing development of decommissioning at Lerwick
© Courtesy Rory Gillies/Shetland F Ninian Northern arriving at Dales Voe, Lerwick, where ongoing development of deep-water infrastructure enables support for larger-scale decommissioning projects in…
Well-Safe secures further £26m to fund growth
© Supplied by Submitted pic Well-Safe Protector. Oil and gas decommissioning firm Well-Safe Solutions has secured a £26 million investment to fund the next phase…
Versabar gears up for another crack at North Sea market
In 2012, Versabar’s VB 10,000 lift system installed a 3,500-ton refurbished platform in the first installation operation the system has performed. In 2011 the VB…
OGUK Launches Digital Decom Conference
Industry body Oil & Gas UK is launching its first ever virtual decommissioning conference. Industry body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) has revealed that it…
Enpro Subsea enables safe removal of ‘attic’ oil from Brent Bravo’s concrete cells
Hunting Energy Services, Subsea Technologies division supporting DeepOcean has successfully completed another campaign in the North Sea using Enpro Subsea’s Field Decommissioning (F-Decom) system. The…
Kishorn Port hints at plans to extend dry dock
Kishorn Port. Kishorn port has raised hopes of a jobs boost after it signalled plans to extend its dry dock to cater to demand for…
New artificial reef off Grand Isle sets a record
The tallest oil platform ever converted into an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico is now in place about 50 miles southeast of Grand…
Premier Oil hands in Balmoral decommissioning plans
© Premier Oil/ Linkedin Premier Oil will end production at its Balmoral Area in October. Pic: Premier Oil/Linkedin Premier Oil has handed in decommissioning plans…
Chevron kicks off Thai decommissioning drive
US supermajor Chevron has launched a significant offshore decommissioning exercise in Thailand comprising dozens of offshore platforms and subsea pipelines, as the decommissioning sector gathers…
Premier Oil hands in Balmoral decommissioning plans
© Premier Oil/ Linkedin Premier Oil will end production at its Balmoral Area in October. Pic: Premier Oil/Linkedin Premier Oil has handed in decommissioning plans…
Decommissioning firm Well-Safe Solutions snaps up second rig
West Epsilon Heavy Duty HE Oil and gas decommissioning firm Well-Safe Solutions has acquired a second rig in a move it claims will spark the…
Super-size Lerwick decom pad takes delivery of its first oil platform
Ninian Northern arrives at Lerwick Harbour Lerwick Port Authority has taken delivery of the 14,200-tonne Ninian Northern platform topside -the first job for the new…
Greenpeace returns to Brent field to protest against Shell’s decommissioning plans
The Greenpeace Ship Esperanza passes in front of the Shell operated Oil platform Brent-C (Charlie). Photo by Carl Shanahan / Greenpeace Greenpeace activists have returned…
Ithaca approved to remove North Sea Anglia platform
Offshore staff ABERDEEN, UK – Ithaca Energy has received approval from the UK’s Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning for its decommissioning proposals for…
Repsol Sinopec calls time on Tartan Alpha after 40 years
Repsol Sinopec Resources UK (RSRUK) has decided to stop production on its Tartan Alpha installation after nearly 40 years, putting some jobs at risk. The…
UK decommissioning costs continue to fall
On the way out: the removal of Shell’s Brent Alpha topsides using Allseas’ gigantic Pioneering Spirit vessel Photo: ALLSEAS Latest estimates from regulator show expected…
Big oil rig scrapping job no trouble for Heerema
Dutch firm Heerema has safely removed the steel infrastructure of an end-of-life Shell oil platform, located in the North Sea. The dismantling job required some…
Sleipnir offshore crane breaks own record for single jacket lift
HMC’s Sleipnir safely and sustainably removed Shell’s 10100 mT Brent Alpha jacket. Dutch firm Hereema Marine Contractors (HMC) has broken its own record a single…
Orca to Provide Dive System Support for Well-Safe Guardian
Well-Safe Guardian – Image: Well-Safe Well-Safe Solutions, a UK-based company specializing in P&A services, has awarded Orca Oceanic Systems a contract for the provision of…
OOS New SSCVs Undergoing Final Touches
The two offshore mast cranes on board OOS International’s semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) OSS Walcheren have been installed and load-tested, while the company’s SSCV OOS…
Curlew – a decom object lesson
The Shell Curlew FPSO arriving in Dundee last year I’m baffled by the Curlew decommissioning saga that will now see the life-expired FPSO be dismantled…
Six-figure boost for budding Fife decommissioning facility
An artist’s impression of CessCon Decom’s facility in Energy Park Fife. Plans to create an oilfield infrastructure dismantling facility in Fife have been given a…
Tech knowhow gives new lease of life to marine habitats
Natural defences: mangroves, such as this one in the Caribbean, help to protect coastlines against storm surges © Getty Images As global awareness of the…
Voyageur Spirit heads to Kishorn after leaving Premier Oil’s Huntington field
The Voyageur Spirit FPSO is on its way to the Kishorn Drydocks after leaving Premier Oil’s Huntington field in the North Sea. Work to remove…
Hiretech Limited Investment Supports Decommissioning Sector
Equipment rental business Hiretech Limited has taken receipt of newly built subsea shears and hydraulic grabs as part of a recent £600,000 investment in decommissioning…
Allseas, Kvaerner secure Statfjord A platform removal contract
YourOilAndGasNews – The Statfjord A platform in the North Sea will shut down production in 2022, 43 years after first oil. This more than doubles…
Eni hands in plan to decommission six North Sea platforms
Eni will decommission six platforms in the North Sea. The 48/29A complex is the main operating hub for Hewett. Eni has submitted plans to decommission…
Completion of topside skidding as part of Pickerill platforms’ decommissioning
Petrodec, the decommissioning services specialist, confirmed the successful completion of skidding operations for the topside removal of the Pickerill A unmanned platform, located in the…
Watch: Neptune Energy completes safe removal of three Dutch North Sea platforms
https://vimeo.com/432060409/recommended Neptune Energy on Wednesday (June 24) announced the safe removal of the L10-C, L10-D and L10-G platforms from the Dutch sector of the North…
Petrodec Achieves Decommissioning Milestone
The ability to use one vessel, instead of a drilling rig and heavy lift vessel, is an industry first. Decommissioning services specialist Petrodec has completed…
UK decommissioning spend to fall short of £1.5billion yearly estimate, OGA warns
The OGA said decommissioning spend will fall short in 2020 and 2021 due to the downturn, bringing concern for suppliers. Pic: Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit vessel…
OOS joins decommissioning joint venture
Offshore staff SEROOSKERKE, the Netherlands – OOS International has joined a consortium of Lloyd’s Register and Worley to provide offshore operators with end-to-end decommissioning, from…
Marine biologists forecast effects of oil platform decommissioning on fish communities
Marine biologists forecast the effects of oil platform decommissioning on fish communities Biologists and fishermen alike know that offshore oil platforms function as de facto…
UK approves decom plans for Ineos-operated field
The Cavendish platform. The UK Government has approved Ineos’ decommissioning programme for its Cavendish platform. The field is in the southern North Sea, about 75…
Aker BP Cleared to Use Maersk Invincible Rig for P&A at Valhall
Maersk Invincible – Credit: Maersk Drilling Norwegian oil company Aker BP has secured consent from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway to use the Maersk Invincible…
Ashtead Technology and Reliance Subsea Services enter partnership
Subsea equipment solutions specialist Ashtead Technology has entered into a partnership with Trinidad-based Reliance Subsea Services. Established in 2018, Reliance Subsea provide tooling and equipment…
Taqa Cleared to Remove Eider Platform Topside
Eider Platform – Credit: Taqa The UK authorities have approved Taqa’s decommissioning program the Eider platform topside in the UK North Sea The Eider platform…
Well decommissioning under way on North Sea Rubie, Renee fields
Offshore staff ABERDEEN, UK – Petrofac’s Engineering & Production Services division has started a well decommissioning contract for the Rubie and Renee fields in the…
VIDEO: First Drone Delivery for World’s Biggest Offshore Vessel
Drone delivering a package to the Pioneering Spirit vessel – Credit: Port of Rotterdam, Allseas’ giant Pioneering Spirit offshore construction and decommissioning vessel last week…
GALLERY: Giant Sleipnir vessel wraps up decommissioning campaign for ConocoPhillips
Earlier this month, Heerema Marine Contractors’ giant semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) Sleipnir completed its first decommissioning campaign of the season. It was a unique project,…
Low Oil Prices Could Spur Offshore Decommissioning Wave
The total value of the global pool of offshore oil and gas decommissioning projects that will accumulate through 2024 could reach $42 billion, with the…
Archer boosted by Taqa decommissioning contract awards
The Archer Topaz unit is expected to move to the Cormorant Alpha platform in the second half of next year. Taqa has picked Archer rig…
Offshore decommission sector set for huge growth
As was the case just a few years ago, the offshore decommission sector stands out as the offshore sector set for rapid growth according to…
Maersk in UK decommissioning contract award
Danish contractor Maersk Supply Service has won a subsea removal contract for Fairfield Energy’s Dunlin Alpha project in the UK North Sea. MSS was awarded…
OGA launches its MER UK Strategy review consultation
The Oil and Gas Authority (“ the OGA ”) has launched a consultation into its proposed updated Maximising Economic Recovery Strategy ( “the Strategy” ),…
Kishorn Port aims to prove decommissioning credentials with stricken Minch cargo ship
MV Kaami, which ran around in the Minch, arriving at Kishorn drydock for dismantling. A redeveloped Highland port is aiming to use a stricken cargo…
Drydocks World Starts Bokalift 2 Conversion for Boskalis
Image Credit: Drydocks World Dubai’s Drydocks World shipyard has started construction of the offshore wind installation vessel for the Dutch company Boskalis. Drydocks World held…
Watch the moment enormous Brent Bravo lifting frame disappears into a cloud of dust
This is the dramatic moment the massive lifting framework on the Brent Bravo oil rig was torn down at Seaton port. The enormous structure, or…
Making the right offer: environmental and economic concerns in decommissioning
The untenable nature of the oil and gas industry is something of an open secret. Offshore revenues in the UK alone have cratered over the…
Bureau Veritas’ tool ‘can save millions in decommissioning costs’
A digital twinning and smart data asset management tool from Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspection and certification services, can save between 9%…
Boskalis Buys Salvage Firm Ardent Americas
Image Credit: Boskalis Dutch dredging and marine services giant Boskalis has acquired the U.S.-based maritime emergency response specialist Ardent Americas. Ardent, created by the 2015…
Repsol Sinopec to Remove Buchan & Hannay Subsea Infrastructure
Credit: Repsol Sinopec UK oil and gas operator Repsol Sinopec has filed a draft decommissioning plan for subsea infrastructure at Buchan & Hannay fields in…
Australia: Decommissioning In Australia – Is The Insurance Market Prepared?
1 Introduction Whilst decommissioning of offshore and onshore sites is a nascent industry in Australia, it is an industry that is set to become increasingly…
Awilco firms up rig contract with Petrofac off UK
Awilco Drilling has firmed up a contract with Petrofac for its semi-submersible WilPhoenix to carry out well plug-and-abandonment work off the UK. The 1982-built rig…
Exclusive: EnQuest calls time on fire-hit North Sea platform
The Heather Alpha platform, operated by EnQuest Oil and gas firm EnQuest has confirmed plans to decommissioning its fire-damaged Heather Alpha platform in the northern…
University of Aberdeen: National Decommissioning Centre and Chevron sign partnership agreement
The National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) and Chevron Corporation (CVX) have signed an agreement that will support research at the NDC through to 2023. The anchor…