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Transferring Ownership – An Alternative Approach to Offshore Oil Platform Decommissioning
Figure 3: Decommissioning Project Organisation Figure 4: Hibernia Oil Production Platform Will Be a Candidate for
Decommissioning by 2030
Decommissioning
committee
Regulatory
Venture
authorities and
project manager
stakeholders
Interface
Deconstruction management
Platform operation
systems
(disconnection)
Removal
Recycling
and disposal
approach to business, balancing economic, environmental and social
responsibilities. Currently, accessible decommissioning programmes for
offshore oil platforms are available for benchmarking purposes;
however, as yet there have been no post-decommissioning audits.
Researchers need to identify opportunities for improvement. A Centre would convey the lessons learned and be used for subsequent
for Excellence would be targeted if decommissioning became a business decommissioning projects. Production companies could transfer
activity performed by specialised firms independently of the oil- platform ownership to decommissioning firms, thereby avoiding risks
producing companies. The Centre for Excellence in decommissioning related to dismantling activities. ■
1. Izundu U, Oil & Gas Journal, 2007;105:15–15. 4. Lakhal SY, et al., European Journal of Operational Research, Industries, 2009; in press.
2. Lakhal SY, et al., Ocean & Coastal Management, 2009;52:113–23. 2001;29:259–70. 6. Ford S, Kittiwake Loading Buoy Decommissioning Program,
3. Poruban S, Oil & Gas Journal, 2001;99:15–15. 5. Bertolini M, et al., Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process London, UK: Venture Production, 2006.
In Brief
Tullow Oil Concentrates on Ghana and Uganda Venezuela Signs Orinoco Accord with Russia
Tullow Oil has pledged US$700m to accelerate its exploration and Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) will collaborate with a Russian oil
production activities in Ghana and Uganda following new discoveries consortium to extract heavy crude in Venezuela’s Orinoco River basin.
in both regions and the rapid progress of Ghana’s Jubilee Field. The accord, signed at the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries’ (OPEC’s) headquarters in Vienna in March 2009, will see
Tullow discovered 1.4 million barrels of highly pressured light Lukoil Holdings, TNK, Rosneft and Gazprom work alongside PDVSA
hydrocarbon reserves in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore Ghana. to reach regional production of 200,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Tullow also reported 600 million barrels of oil in the Buffalo-Giraffe and
Kingfisher fields in Uganda, which follows five discoveries in the The Orinico venture previously included the international oil
Butiaba region in as many months. Since exploration drilling companies (IOCs) Chevron, Total, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, but
commenced in Uganda in 2005, Tullow has had a 100% success Hugo Chavez’s nationalisation of Venezuela’s oil industry over the last
record over a range of 150km. The discoveries have been followed by three years has reduced IOC involvement. In 2008, Chavez increased
formal approval to drill from Uganda's environmental authority, subject oil industry taxes and royalties by 20%, collecting US$38.48 billion.
to some minor conditions regarding placement of rigs. Tullow will now Chavez also stripped foreign oil companies of majority stakes in most
seek to speed up development and commercialisation of crude in its fields (provoking, in the case of ExxonMobil, a law suit).
three licences on the Ugandan side of the Lake Albert Rift Basin.
However, the fall in oil price has left PDVSA unable to exploit
Tullow may partner Sinopec in its activities, as the Chinese company Venezuela’s resources and it now requires partners. Chavez hopes the
has experience with East Africa’s main oil producer, Sudan. Tullow Russian–Venezuelan consortium will “open operations not only in
has also secured a US$2bn seven-year credit facility to enable Venezuela, but also throughout the world”. Although Chavez prefers
exploration and production in Ghana and Uganda, and is partnerships with national oil companies (NOCs) to IOCs, 19 IOCs are
deprioritising around US$230m-worth of activities in other countries continuing to bid for the Carabobo region of the Orinoco belt,
such as Surinam. ■ attracted by Orinoco's plentiful reserves and low exploration risk. ■
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EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION – VOLUME 7 ISSUE 1
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