Marine Life Assemblage Assessment at Oil & Gas Platform in the South China Sea Offshore Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Izzat Mohd Thiyahuddin ◽  
Azam Abdul Rahman ◽  
Emily Hazelwood ◽  
Amberlea Sparks ◽  
Mark Benfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Biological Assessment ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Abstract In Malaysia, numerous offshore oil and gas platforms are approaching the end of their operational lifespans and will soon be scheduled for decommissioning. Traditional decommissioning typically involves the complete removal of the platform from the seabed, consequently resulting in the destruction of the established marine life communities present on the structure. A Rigs-to-Reefs strategy provides an alternative to the complete removal of obsolete, non-productive offshore oil and gas platforms, by converting the platform into a permanent artificial reef by utilizing one of the following three methods: partial removal or topple-in-place (in-situ), or tow and place (ex-situ). In-situ reefing provides a means of conserving the marine communities found on the platform by decommissioning the platform jacket in place as an artificial reef. However, not all platforms are good candidates for a Rigs-to-Reef conversion. Thus, pre-decommissioning biological assessments should be undertaken to determine the most appropriate decommissioning strategy on a case-by-case basis. In this study, a biological assessment was developed to catalog the marine life assemblages present on two offshore oil and gas platforms in Malaysia using remotely operated vehicles. Given the limited amount of biological data available on the marine ecosystems found on Malaysia’s platforms, this data may be useful for minimizing adverse impacts of platform removal, while enhancing benefits to the marine environment.

scholarly journals Benthic biodiversity on old platforms, young wind farms, and rocky reefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1250-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joop W P Coolen ◽  
Babeth van der Weide ◽  
Joël Cuperus ◽  
Maxime Blomberg ◽  
Godfried W N M Van Moorsel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Steel Substrate ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Psammechinus Miliaris ◽  
Natural Reef ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Abstract The introduction of artificial hard substrates in an area dominated by a sandy seabed increases habitat available to epifouling organisms. To investigate this, samples were taken on old offshore oil and gas platforms, and data were compared with data of a young wind farm and a natural reef. Depth, sampling date, abundance of Mytilus edulis, Psammechinus miliaris, Metridium dianthus, and the presence of Tubulariidae and substrate (rock or steel) all correlated with species richness. Multivariate analysis showed a large overlap in communities on steel and rock and between the wind farm and platforms. The community changed over a gradient from deep rocks to shallow steel substrate, but no strong community differentiation was observed. Deep steel was more similar to natural rocks than shallow steel. When an artificial reef is intended to be colonized by communities similar to those on a natural reef, its structure should resemble a natural reef as much as possible.

scholarly journals Exploring Understandings of Different Decommissioning Options for Offshore Oil and Gas Structures in the South Taranaki Bight of New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Carmen Lau
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The South ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

<p>The majority of the world’s offshore oil and gas structures will need to be decommissioned in upcoming decades as they near the end of their production phase. Once decommissioned, there are three main options available for the now-obsolete structures: complete removal, partial removal, and re-use. Since New Zealand has yet to decommission any offshore structures, there are no past examples or legislative precedent to guide the process. International case studies indicate that social acceptance is crucial to the successful implementation of these projects, so the aim of this thesis was to examine perceptions of different decommissioning options for offshore oil and gas structures in the South Taranaki Bight of New Zealand. Grounded in agenda-setting theory, Study 1 examined the prominence and portrayal of offshore decommissioning in the media. We found an exceedingly low coverage (N = 13) which indicates that the public are likely unaware of the issue. Within the limited sample, the themes 'disregarding decommissioning' and 'addressing decommissioning' were identified which, when combined, suggest that New Zealand is in the pre-planning stage of decommissioning and has yet to explore the options available. Using a postal survey (N = 154), Study 2 measured how the Taranaki community currently understood different decommissioning options, and explored whether and which familiarity variables, psychological constructs, and demographic variables could predict support for different options. The results confirmed a lack of knowledge and awareness (but high levels of interest) among the sample and revealed heterogeneity in which option was supported. Moreover, path analyses showed that awareness, knowledge, age, individualist worldviews, and egalitarian worldviews were significantly associated with support for different options. As will be discussed, these findings have significant implications for communication, engagement, and policy-making in both New Zealand and the international context.</p>

Omics-based approaches and their use in the assessment of microbial-influenced corrosion of metals

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Beale ◽  
Avinash V. Karpe ◽  
Snehal Jadhav ◽  
Tim H. Muster ◽  
Enzo A. Palombo
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Secondary Effects ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractMicrobial-influenced corrosion (MIC) has been known to have economic, environmental, and social implications to offshore oil and gas pipelines, concrete structures, and piped water assets. While corrosion itself is a relatively simple process, the localised manner of corrosion makes in situ assessments difficult. Furthermore, corrosion assessments tend to be measured as part of a forensic investigation. Compounding the issue further is the impact of microbiological/biofilm processes, where corrosion is influenced by the complex processes of different microorganisms performing different electrochemical reactions and secreting proteins and metabolites that can have secondary effects. While traditional microbiological culture-dependent techniques and electrochemical/physical assessments provide some insight into corrosion activity, the identity and role of microbial communities that are related to corrosion and corrosion inhibition in different materials and in different environments are scarce. One avenue to explore MIC and MIC inhibition is through the application of omics-based techniques, where insight into the bacterial population in terms of diversification and their metabolism can be further understood. As such, this paper discusses the recent progresses made in a number of fields that have used omics-based applications to improve the fundamental understanding of biofilms and MIC processes.

scholarly journals A CFD Analysis of Decommissioned Oil Platforms Jackets on the Brazilian Coast

CFD Letters ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 63-80
Author(s):  
Fernando Rodrigues Gonzalez ◽  
Roger Matsumoto Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Ansys Fluent ◽  
Oil Platforms ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Volume Method ◽  
Offshore Oil

Every facility reaches the last phase in its life cycle, which is decommissioning. Since the last decade, this subject has been gaining importance in Brazil’s offshore oil and gas companies. For jacket type rigs, one of the methods widely applied after idling the production is the conversion of these structures into artificial reefs (ARs). There are several critical aspects for choosing the best strategy for cutting and sinking a platform jacket, ensuring the success of an AR from a biological point of view. One of them is the influence of marine currents and their fluid-structure interaction which, by maximizing local upwelling and back vortex effects, favours the growth of aggregated flora and fauna. This study consists in the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques for studying the marine flow around a disassembled and sunk jacket in the seabed for the purpose of converting it into an artificial reef. An FVM (Finite Volume Method) from a commercial software (most recent version of ANSYS FLUENT®) is applied with the upwind scheme. A k-ε turbulence model on steady state is chosen. Field data about Brazilian coastal currents are collected and analysed from the amount of information available on a Brazilian Navy's meteoceanographic program. Next, different combinations of cutting and sinking a jacket are studied, always keeping a minimum 55m free water column. The objective is to verify where the formation of local upwelling regions - that is, where the vertical velocity component reaches values equal or greater than 10% of the magnitude of the free flow velocity - is more significant, without decreasing back eddy formation. It is observed that the dismemberment of the jacket with the positioning of its parts in an increasing height sequence in the direction of the prevailing current is favourable to generate local upwelling while tipping the structure at 90° to the prevailing current results in the most voluminous back eddy region.

USE OF OIL AND GAS PLATFORMS AS HABITAT IN LOUISIANA'S ARTIFICIAL REEF PROGRAM

1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
R. A. Kasprzak ◽  
W.S. Perret
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Private Industry ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Low Profile ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Louisiana's offshore oil and gas industry began in 1947 when the first well was drilled out of sight of land south of Terrebonne Parish. Today over 3,700 offshore oil and gas platforms have been installed, supplying 25 per cent of the United States' production of natural gas and 12.5 per cent of its oil. In addition to meeting the world's energy needs, these structures also form one of the world's most extensive defacto artificial reef systems. However, federal regulations require that these structures be removed within 1 year after the lease is terminated. Disposal of obsolete offshore oil and gas structures is not only a net financial liability for private industry but can be a public loss of productive marine habitat. In 1986 the Louisiana Fishing Enhancement Act was signed into law, in response to the National Fishing Enhancement Act, creating the Louisiana Artificial Reef Program. This program was designed to take advantage of fishing habitat opportunities offered by these obsolete platforms. Since the program's inception 22 reef sites, utilising the components (jackets and decks) of 58 obsolete platforms, have been created off Louisiana's coast. The use of obsolete oil and gas platforms in Louisiana has proved to be highly successful. Their large numbers, design, longevity, and stability have provided a number of advantages over the use of traditional artificial reef materials. The participating companies also save money by converting the structure into a reef rather than abandoning it onshore; these companies are required to donate a portion of the savings to the state to run the artificial reef program. One disadvantage, however, is that the large size of these platforms restricts the distance to shore where they can be sited. To achieve the minimum clearance of 16 m over a submerged structure, as required by the Coast Guard regulations, the platforms must be placed in waters deeper than 30 m. Waters of this depth are found between 22 km and 115 km from shore on Louisiana's gently sloping continental shelf, making them almost inaccessible to many anglers. Funds generated by the program, however, can be used to develop reefs closer to shore if alternative low profile materials are used. Due to high maintenance costs of both the structure and aids to navigation, the increased liability exposure and the undetermined cost of removing the structure once it becomes a hazard to public safety and navigation, leaving the structures standing in place has thus far proved not to be a viable option in Louisiana.

scholarly journals Exploring Understandings of Different Decommissioning Options for Offshore Oil and Gas Structures in the South Taranaki Bight of New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Carmen Lau
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Offshore Structures ◽  
Postal Survey ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The South ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

<p>The majority of the world’s offshore oil and gas structures will need to be decommissioned in upcoming decades as they near the end of their production phase. Once decommissioned, there are three main options available for the now-obsolete structures: complete removal, partial removal, and re-use. Since New Zealand has yet to decommission any offshore structures, there are no past examples or legislative precedent to guide the process. International case studies indicate that social acceptance is crucial to the successful implementation of these projects, so the aim of this thesis was to examine perceptions of different decommissioning options for offshore oil and gas structures in the South Taranaki Bight of New Zealand. Grounded in agenda-setting theory, Study 1 examined the prominence and portrayal of offshore decommissioning in the media. We found an exceedingly low coverage (N = 13) which indicates that the public are likely unaware of the issue. Within the limited sample, the themes 'disregarding decommissioning' and 'addressing decommissioning' were identified which, when combined, suggest that New Zealand is in the pre-planning stage of decommissioning and has yet to explore the options available. Using a postal survey (N = 154), Study 2 measured how the Taranaki community currently understood different decommissioning options, and explored whether and which familiarity variables, psychological constructs, and demographic variables could predict support for different options. The results confirmed a lack of knowledge and awareness (but high levels of interest) among the sample and revealed heterogeneity in which option was supported. Moreover, path analyses showed that awareness, knowledge, age, individualist worldviews, and egalitarian worldviews were significantly associated with support for different options. As will be discussed, these findings have significant implications for communication, engagement, and policy-making in both New Zealand and the international context.</p>

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