Decommissioning of Offshore Installations: a Fragmented and Ineffective International Regulatory Framework

Abstract

After decades of exploitation of offshore resources the problem of managing and removing platforms and installations constructed for this purpose urgently presents itself. The number of installations which are reaching the end of their life-cycle are increasing. The issue of removing outdated platforms and installations has become prominent since the 1980s. Due to technological advances in the oil and gas industries, the exploration of resources has extended to new depths and distances, increasing the number of structures in the sea and the impacts on the seabed. For instance, in 1950 there were only two offshore drilling rigs in the world. Yet, by 1988 the number of installations rose to 750,1 and currently, around 7000 offshore platforms around the world are engaged in the exploitation of hydrocarbons.2