Invasive Sun Coral Species Challenges Decommissioning of Structures Offshore Brazil

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 30656, “Decommissioning of Subsea Structures in Brazil: Effect of Invasive Species and Genome Sequence of the Azooxanthellate Coral Tubastraea sp.,” by João Humberto Guandalini Batista, SPE, Repsol; Mauro Rebelo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; and Giordano Soares-Souza, SENAI CETIQT, prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Houston, 4–7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. Decommissioning of offshore assets in Brazil is subject to high levels of uncertainty because of Tubastraea, an invasive species of sun coral. This species has a high capacity for dispersion and recruitment and has been associated with the replacement of native species in rocky shores, exerting a serious effect on native biodiversity. The complete paper explores the biology of the invasive species, aiming to identify methods to eliminate or diminish its spread. The authors write that data generated in this study will foster the development of effective technologies in coral-species management, whether species are invasive or threatened. Introduction Originally from the Coral Triangle in the Pacific Ocean—a highly diverse region with hundreds of coral species—Tubastraea was first observed in the Campos Basin in the 1980s. Tubastraea sp. have high fecundity and growth rates with the ability to reproduce asexually, establishing very dense populations. This fast reproduction allows larvae to outcompete native species in both natural and artificial substrates in the sea. Sun coral is extremely resistant to environmental change. It has been found in shallow waters, sometimes exposed to air, showing tolerance even to short periods of desiccation. Recently, new species have been identified in Brazilian waters, heightening concern over the proliferation of sun coral. In the past, the common understanding was that subspecies coccinea and tagusensis were those found in Brazilian waters. However, recent studies dedicated to the research of the Tubastraea genus raised suspicion of the presence of diaphana and aurea, with the possible occurrence of hybrids as well. The preference of Tubastraea is to live in structures that are static or mostly motionless, such as production platforms, subsea structures, and drilling rigs. This trait has made sun coral a major challenge for the local oil and gas industry. While in the Campos Basin, the main objective is to decrease dispersion of already bioencrusted production units and subsea structures, in the Santos Basin, the goal is to avoid colonization in structures in operation or those scheduled to be installed soon. To further complicate matters, drilling and intervention vessels and rigs are contracted to service both basins. They work in dynamic-positioning mode, stationary around the production units and subsea structures for lengths of time that exceed the reproduction cycle time of the sun coral, allowing larval dispersion.