This final paper in the series deals specifically with the reconstruction and disposal of Offshore Production Platforms. Considerable time has been spent working in such an environment that has been fraught with many difficulties, where efforts to get both companies and individual excited about the prospects of Platform Abandonment. One perhaps can appreciate the dilemma that exist where employees understand that their career that is on the line and prospects for future employment are low, standard of living will degenerate through time, overall aspiration for life itself has greatly diminished. For the operator, owners and share holders the prospects are not any better, the loss of an asset, loss of essential cash flow, loss of position as a market leader, loss of dividends and a major demand on capital being expended on a project that brings no financial return in the short term. There are many negatives issues to be addressed and overcome that the positives, if there are any are not easily detected or appreciated.
In the first paper some effort was made to highlight the uniqueness in character in approach that was necessary to the whole subject of Platform Abandonment. Innovative and lateral thinking, surely these are the process that all good engineers utilise when approaching new frontiers and future challenges. Unfortunately that is not the case, so often the working environment is one of stereo type, having tunnel vision focusing only on the negative effect, rather than standing back and considering the positive issues and in doing so we truly miss the great opportunities to be market leaders.
"The oil and gas industries are entering a new strategic environment where the old values and methods of doing business are no longer acceptable".
To establish a way forward both for Amoco and perhaps in some generic way for the industry as a whole, feasibility studies were undertaken to understand the Legislation and Environmental requirements, identify possible options, development of criteria for the evaluation process ensuring that elements such as risk, safety, environment, compliance with current legislation, technology, liabilities and financial exposure, and synergy with other operators considering platform abandonment's. The aim established at the outset of these studies was;
"To undertake a critical assessment of every conceivable abandonment option that is available after production has ceased and process and utility systems have been cleaned, focusing on options for total removal, partial removal, toppling and disposal".
What options are available for offshore platform abandonment? Depending from what view point you consider this whole problem, some have said there is only, "ONE" but realistically there are many options that must be considered and evaluated in great detail ensuring that the variances and cost drivers are identified and understood.
Many of the offshore platform in the UKCS have several Participants, Co-ventures or Partners having different aspirations, Company Profiles, Values, Financial Commitments etc. but at the end of the day when the Operator applies to the DTI for approval to abandon an offshore production platform there must be, "Full Agreement" by all parties involved.
