Australia's biggest decommissioning and abandonment summit powered by Offshore Network, D&A 2026 AUS that was held in partnership with the Centre of Decommisioning Australia (CODA) saw engaging exchanges and knowledge sharing on industry hot topics
With CEO and Managing Director Francis Norman, General Manager Rean Gilbert, and Brand Leader Pawel Rybczynski, among others, CODA's esteemed presence on the exhibition floor was hard to miss.
As Australia's decommissioning challenges continue to grow, operators are having to adapt to smoothly deliver complex campaigns. There were insightful sessions led by spokespersons from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources; Chevron; ExxonMobil and Woodside Energy, who shared first hand experiences on the challenges of tackling complex projects such as FPSO removal or onshore reception centre development, to name a few.
Industry experts from the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), Unity and Archer to name a few, spoke on their challenges while delivering plug and abandonment projects. In such cases operators have to bear in mind the tactful balancing of factors such as costs, risks and regulations.
Representatives from NOPSEMA spoke on how the body's expectations are evolving with the needs of an ever-changing industry. There were talks on South Australia’s environmental liability management policy and a closer look at the regulatory updates from the NCS.
There were insightful sessions on regulatory priorities shaping P&A programmes, proven intervention strategies from real campaigns, and technologies improving efficiency and well integrity.
The conference reflected how Australia is building a robust, safe, responsible and economically sound decommissioning industry characterised by mature, repeatable execution models in the long term.
The Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) has launched a Women in Decommissioning Special Interest Group (SIG), a new forum to support connection, visibility and collaboration across the decommissioning sector.
The group is designed to strengthen career pathways, knowledge sharing and mentoring opportunities for women working across the multidisciplinary decommissioning workforce, including engineering, environment, regulation, marine, logistics, commercial and related fields.
The SIG will be chaired by Carrie McIntosh of Xodus, supported by CODA General Manager Rean Gilbert as the CODA representative for the group, with Simona Chady of CB&I joining as a committee member.
“Decommissioning is going to need a broad and capable workforce, and that means drawing on the full talent pool available to the industry,” said CODA’s CEO Francis Norman.
“The Women in Decommissioning SIG is an important step in making sure the contribution of women in this sector is visible, supported and connected, while also strengthening the industry as a whole.”
Unlike CODA’s other Special Interest Groups — which include Well Abandonment, Decommissioning Project Management and Hazardous Materials Management — membership in the Women in Decommissioning SIG is open to CODA Partners and non-partners alike.
“This group gives women across the decommissioning sector a structured way to connect, share knowledge and build mentoring relationships, while also opening the door to broader participation across the industry,” said Rean Gilbert, CODA’s General Manager.
“While focused on supporting women in decommissioning, the SIG is open to all individuals, reflecting the role mixed teams play in shaping career pathways and opportunities across the sector.”
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published new guidance designed to improve safety during subsea decommissioning and dismantlement projects, which could significantly benefit the Asutralian decommissioning industry given its relatively limited experience of large-scale dismantlement projects.
As offshore oil and gas assets around the world reach the end of their operational life, decommissioning activity is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. No more is this more so than in Australia, which is entering a sustained phase of decommissioning activity, as fields mature and infrastructure that has supported oil and gas production since the 1960s comes to the end of its productive life.
IMCA’s Guidance on diving operations in support of subsea decommissioning and dismantlement projects (IMCA D090) has been developed to help contractors, operators, and project teams better understand and manage the unique operational and safety challenges associated with dismantling ageing subsea infrastructure, which is creating an increasingly high-risk environment for commercial diving operations. Increased vessel activity, heavy lifting operations, subsea cutting, breaking containment, diver intervention and simultaneous operations taking place within restricted work areas all pose potential hazards.
Decommissioning projects frequently involve structures that were never designed to be removed. With ageing facilities, engineering records may be incomplete or inaccurate, and the actual subsea condition of assets can differ significantly from original drawings or assumptions made during project planning.
The IMCA warns that incidents during decommissioning are frequently linked to assumptions about asset condition or reliance on outdated information. The guidance therefore places strong emphasis on verifying “as found” conditions throughout the project lifecycle and ensuring effective transfer of historical information between all parties involved.
The document also recognises that conditions can evolve rapidly as dismantlement progresses, requiring continuous reassessment of hazards and control measures.
Particular emphasis is placed on the Management of Change (MOC) process, given that changes to scope, methodology, equipment, sequence of work or environmental conditions are common during decommissioning campaigns, and that failures to identify or properly manage those changes have contributed to a number of high-potential incidents.
The guidance reinforces the need for formal, disciplined MOC procedures supported by clear communication, documented verification processes, and a shared operational understanding across project teams.
It also suggests looking at alternatives to diver intervention such as remote systems or engineered alternatives wherever reasonably practicable.
Where diving operations are unavoidable, IMCA states they should only proceed with robust planning, verified information, clearly defined controls, and a safety culture that empowers personnel to question assumptions and exercise stop-work authority where concerns exist.The document also addresses a range of hazards commonly associated with subsea decommissioning activities, including subsea cutting techniques, lifting operations, residual hydrocarbons, stored energy, and contaminated environments.
Bill Chilton, Diving Manager at IMCA, said, “Subsea decommissioning and dismantlement activities present a distinct and increasingly prevalent set of hazards for divers. Where incidents have occurred, experience shows many could have been avoided through better planning, more rigorous verification of conditions, and disciplined management of change procedures.
“Many offshore structures now reaching the end of their operational life were installed long before dismantlement was ever considered. They were designed to operate, not necessarily to be removed safely decades later. That creates a very different risk profile for diving teams working subsea.”
The guidance is available through the IMCA Technical Library.
While much of the focus on Australia’s decommissioning efforts has been concentrated offshore, Esso Australia is quietly progressing work onshore at its Longford plant in southeastern Victoria.
The facility is a major natural gas and crude oil site that has long processed vital resources from the Bass Strait to supply the bulk of Victoria's domestic gas demand.
In a 9 June statement posted to the ExxonMobil Australia and New Zealand LinkedIn page, Longford Plant Manager Clinton Gentle highlighted how decommissioning work is taking place while his team continues to provide much-needed gas to the domestic market.
“For more than 50 years, the Bass Strait assets have played an important role in supplying energy to Australia,” he said.
“As some of these facilities reach the end of their working life, we’re now preparing for the next phase, including the removal of offshore platforms from 2027 as part of Australia’s largest decommissioning project.”
The focus throughout this process is on responsible decommissioning, he added.
Decommissioning work is already well advanced offshore.
The company and its partners have completed close to $3bn of early works, including the permanent plug and abandonment of over 200 wells.
This involved a range of specialised offshore vessels and rigs, drawing on expertise from similar projects in other parts of the world, like Canada, the USA and the North Sea.
At the same time, Esso Australia is also progressing decommissioning onshore at Longford.
“Longford has been at the centre of Gippsland Basin operations for decades, and as parts of the facility reach the end of their role, our teams have been carefully working through the decommissioning process,” said Gentle.
“This includes safely decontaminating equipment, dismantling infrastructure that was used to process crude oil and preparing areas for long-term retirement, all in line with our regulatory obligations.”
The scale of the task is “significant,” he added, demanding a strong focus on safety, precision and discipline.
“I’m proud of how our people have approached this work and the standard they’ve set.”
While some parts of its local operations are winding down, the company is also continuing to invest in the future of Gippsland Basin gas, he noted.
The Gippsland Basin Joint Venture has commenced drilling for the Turrum Phase 3 project, a $350mn investment that will support domestic gas supply.
This is expected to come online ahead of winter 2027 and will help meet ongoing demand across south east Australia.
Taken together, it reflects a balanced approach, according to Gentle.
“We’re safely retiring infrastructure that has reached the end of its life, while continuing to invest in projects that support reliable energy supply and local jobs.”
Nopsema has outlined the state of play in the nation’s decommissioning efforts after posting its ‘Australia's Offshore Energy Industry Performance Report 2025’ on its website.
Sue McCarrey, CEO of Australia’s offshore regulator, said in the report’s foreword that decommissioning and the management of redundant wells continue to be a major focus for the industry.
The report also charts significant progress made in recent years.
In the last five years, 280 wells have been plugged and abandoned, and there are currently 489 non-operational wells, according to the report.
Between 2021 and 2025, 17 environment plans for decommissioning were also approved.
Out of 30 production systems that are no longer producing, seven have been decommissioned to an accepted end-state, and eight have decommissioning execution works underway.
“As offshore assets age, decommissioning activity has increased and many wells are now non-operational,” McCarrey noted.
Addressing these redundant wells is a national priority, but a highly complex task, according to McCarrey.
“Plug and abandonment activity has accelerated, but there remains a clear expectation that decommissioning obligations are met in a timely and effective manner.”
As detailed in Nopsema’s Decommissioning Compliance Strategy 2024-2029, it is expected that non-producing wells for a facility that has reached end of life, are plugged and abandoned within three years of production ceasing and no later than 10 years after being suspended if the facility is still producing.
The report also notes that industry effort is shifting from drilling of new wells to late-life obligations, with well abandonment increasing notably in recent years while spudding continues to fall – consistent with an accelerating transition to decommissioning activities.
The overall number of registered wells on titles is declining, it adds, with a sustained fall since 2020.
Woodside has issued an update on the Minerva field decommissioning, with a focus on the removal of a pipeline from Commonwealth waters.
The company outlined anticipated timelines in a May 2026 Environmental Plan (EP) consultation sheet, with work on the horizon in the latter part of next year.
“Woodside Energy is planning to recommence subsea decommissioning activities for the Minerva field (previously operated by BHP Petroleum (Victoria) Pty Ltd),” the statement noted.
Work includes the removal of the Minerva pipeline bundle and stabilisation mattresses.
The field is located approximately 11 km south southwest of Port Campbell, Victoria, with infrastructure reaching across state and Commonwealth waters, in depths of approximately 15 – 60 metres.
“The proposed activity is planned to be undertaken, following acceptance of the EPs, between September 2027 and end of April 2028, outside the peak whale season,” the statement noted.
The duration of the proposed activity is expected to be 30–45 days in State and Commonwealth waters, respectively, for a total of 90 days subject to factors including regulatory approvals, vessel availability, weather, operational requirements and other circumstances.”
The works are planned to be completed no later than 30 April 2028, it added.
Woodside is the operator of Minerva field, and works alongside its joint venture partner, Amplitude Energy.
During 2025, wells were plugged and abandoned, and associated well infrastructure was removed in accordance with the accepted Minerva Plug and Abandonment (P&A) EP.
As well as timelines, the new EP consultation sheet also provides an overview of various activities, potential environmental impacts and risks, and the measures proposed to manage them ahead of the next phase of work.
The Minerva field ceased production in September 2019.Following cessation of production, the wells were suspended and the subsea system was preserved for decommissioning.
A vessel-based campaign was then conducted in 2021 to disconnect flowlines from wells and install barrier plugs.
To date, a total of around 1,671 tonnes of infrastructure have been removed from the Minerva Field, according to Woodside, with a recycling target of over 90% by weight.
Energy and marine consultancy ABL has been commissioned by Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd (Esso) to provide marine warranty survey (MWS) services to support the safe and efficient delivery of the first phase of the Gippsland Decommissioning Campaign, Australia’s largest offshore decommissioning project.
Esso is the operator of the assets in the Bass Strait that are part of the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture. These comprise around 400 wells, six subsea facilities and more than 800 kilometres of subsea pipelines, and 19 platforms.
Esso is now undertaking the first Bass Strait decommissioning campaign, which is set to play a big role in Australia’s decommissioning and circular economy ambitions, given it involves the removal of around 60,000 tonnes of offshore structures and a target to recycle over 95% of materials.
Preparations for the campaign are well advanced, with the offshore lifting campaign to remove up to 12 platforms scheduled to commence in 2027 using Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit. In preparation, ABL is conducting suitability surveys to validate the proposed marine spread, and technical review and approval of decommissioning documentation. Its scope of work will include on-site attendance at all warranted offshore operations to ensure activities are executed safely and in line with approved procedures.
“This is a landmark project for Australia’s offshore industry, involving highly complex marine operations, including offshore lifting, transportation and discharge of substantial tonnage of assets that are up to half a century old,” said Adam Solomons, East Coast manager at ABL Australia. “Our extensive track record and multi-disciplined expertise that we offer in decommissioning, alongside our deep experience in offshore Australia – makes ABL well positioned to support Esso in reducing risk and optimizing their operations.”
ABL, which is part of the Oslo-listed ABL Group and whose Australian operation is headquartered in Perth, will draw on more than four decades of decommissioning experience, offering services from feasibility and owner’s engineering through to marine consultancy and MWS.
Unity has accelerated its global growth trajectory by securing more than £6mn in new contracts and committing £1.8mn to enhance its specialist technology portfolio.
A multi-million-pound decommissioning project with a global operator in the North Sea is just one in a series of recent wins for the company. Under the agreement, Unity will deliver a full scope of P&A services, including the supply of all required equipment.
The wider wins include three significant contract extensions and two Master Service Agreements with major oilfield service firms.
Unity has also secured a 15-well Thru-Tubing services scope. The contract is a result of the company’s significant investment in its well intervention tools.
Gary Smart, CEO of Unity, said, “This has been a landmark phase of progression and uplift for Unity, and I’m exceptionally proud of the results our team have delivered. We have made significant investments in our technology portfolio to ensure we can provide operators with assurance of well integrity from production to abandonment, and we are now turning our attention firmly to international growth.
“We have spent decades building specialist knowledge in well integrity in the UK, with more than 1,000 wells maintained and 300 well abandonment wells completed. We recognised the opportunity to take that expertise global. APAC is a key market, and we are already seeing strong early traction, with plans to expand our in-country capability over the coming year.”
To support growing demand, Unity has made a series of senior appointments: Gillian King has joined as Sales Director; Catherine Bain as Financial Director; Aimée Tennant as Head of Marketing; and Francis Newbatt as Technical Sales Manager. Stuart Slater has also relocated to Perth as Region Manager – Asia Pacific, where he will spearhead Unity’s expansion, which has already heralded a handful of projects to support mature assets in Australia and Malaysia.
Australia’s offshore regulator, Nopsema, has issued new guidance that clarifies requirements for offshore decommissioning in Commonwealth waters.
The guidelines seek to clarify regulatory requirements for the removal of offshore oil and gas assets and the sea dumping of infrastructure in Commonwealth waters as part of decommissioning.
These waters are ocean zones that typically begin 3 nautical miles (approximately 5.5 kilometres) off the Australian coast and extend outward to the edge of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at 200 nautical miles.
“Decommissioning is a normal and expected part of the lifecycle of every offshore oil and gas project,” a 15 May, 2026 Nosema statement read.
“Under Australian law, the full removal of offshore property and infrastructure is the default requirement once operations have ended. The new guidance provides clarity on how existing legislative frameworks apply to decommissioning activities, and how proposals are assessed where alternatives to full removal are put forward.”
The guidance explains how the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 and the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981 intersect when considering decommissioning outcomes.It outlines the categories of property and infrastructure that cannot be left in the marine environment, as well as those that may, in limited circumstances, be assessed by regulators to determine whether they are suitable to remain in the sea.
“The guidance aims to clarify application and assessment considerations for oil and gas titleholders or operators if proposing an alternative to full removal requirements to leave property or infrastructure in the sea,” the Nopsema statement added.
Importantly, it does not guarantee that any property or infrastructure will be approved to be left in place.
“Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and must demonstrate that environmental and safety risks and impacts are acceptable under the relevant legislation. The guidance also supports early and proactive planning for decommissioning by setting out key application and assessment considerations for offshore titleholders and operators.”
The new guidelines were developed jointly by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, alongside Nopsema, following public consultation in 2024.
It does not introduce new policy or regulatory requirements, but clarifies how existing requirements are applied in practice.The full guidance document is available via the Department of Industry, Science and Resources website.
Australia’s Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) has launched its first online training module, aimed at expanding access to foundational decommissioning knowledge across the industry.
The new training module, Introduction to Well Decommissioning, is part of the organisation’s efforts to support the growth of the sector in Australia, according to CODA CEO Francis Norman.
Developed in response to strong demand for CODA’s in-person training, the self-paced module provides a flexible learning option for those unable to attend the in-person Introduction to Decommissioning course, as well as individuals and organisations looking to build capability across their teams.
“The launch of our first online module is an important step in how we support the development of the decommissioning industry,” said Norman.
“We know not everyone can attend training in person, so the CODA Academy allows us to expand how we support capability development across the industry, while continuing to deliver our in-person courses.”
The module explores the well lifecycle, with a focus on plugging and abandonment, covering key steps, regulatory frameworks and planning considerations that support safe, responsible and cost-effective outcomes.
“By combining in-person training with flexible online learning, we are creating more pathways for industry to build capability, particularly as the scale and complexity of decommissioning activity continues to grow,” said Norman.
“Building online content also allows for just-in-time and very focused learning across the industry”
Course content was developed in collaboration with Chris Wilson of Labrador, a subject matter expert who also delivers the same material as part of CODA’s in-person course.
The launch of the online module also marks the introduction of the CODA Academy, which brings together CODA’s in-person training and online learning offerings.
While in-person courses will continue to run, the Academy expands how participants can engage with decommissioning training delivered by CODA.
The learning experience was developed in partnership with Perth-based organisations Sentient Computing, which delivered the eLearning platform, and Of Note Designs, which designed and developed the web environment.
Additional online modules will be released over time, forming a broader learning pathway across the decommissioning lifecycle and complementing CODA’s existing training.
Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) posted an updated on its website on 1 May, 2026 highlighting progress on the Harriet Alpha assets following their arrival at the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) in Henderson.
A site visit provided an opportunity for CODA officials to observe progress on the offshore removal and onshore dismantling phases of the project.Representatives from CODA, Santos, Liberty Industrial, McDermott and the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification were all present at the visit.
“Attendees were provided with a detailed walkthrough of the offshore removal and onshore dismantling workflow, including load-in operations and the transfer of large structural components from barge to self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) for positioning within the laydown area,” the CODA update noted.
Harriet Alpha, installed in 1985 and ceasing production in 2013, was a pioneering development in Western Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry and forms part of a broader decommissioning programme across the region.
Liberty Industrial was engaged by Santos to undertake a deconstruction and disposal study for the Harriet Alpha platform, with McDermott awarded the engineering, procurement, removal and disposal (EPRD) work in 2024.
In 2025, Liberty Industrial partnered with McDermott to deliver the safe demolition, recycling and disposal activities for the retired platform, including the helideck, topsides, jacket and associated equipment.
With major components including the jacket, topsides and the ‘Pancake 4’ section weighing approximately 1,480 tonnes, 1,440 tonnes and 185 tonnes respectively, the project has achieved multiple milestones, CODA noted, including being the largest offshore platform removed from Australian waters at the time.
CODA added that it “acknowledges and congratulates” all project teams involved in delivering the work.
“The Harriet Alpha decommissioning scope represents a significant example of the growing capability of the Australian offshore decommissioning sector,” it noted.
“It sets a new benchmark for scale and execution, and reflects the progression toward a growing number of large-scale decommissioning programmes across the industry.”
ASCO, a leading logistics, materials and operations management specialist, has won four significant contracts across Australia worth $33.2mn AUD, including one relating to its NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials) solutions and expertise.
The contract is to support Birdon in connection with a major decommissioning project off the North-West coast of Western Australia, involving the deployment of Radiation Safety Officers (both onshore and offshore) and specialist NORM detection and monitoring equipment, from May through November 2026.
Managing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) is high-risk and tightly regulated. This residue, which builds up in pipework, tanks and separators over years of oil and gas production, carries radiological risks and requires expert handling, treatment and disposal. Now that Australia is entering a phase of sustained decommissioning, it is set to generate thousands of tonnes of NORM waste, but possesses limited capabilities in this area.
ASCO, which has built and operated one of the world’s most advanced NORM facilities in the North Sea, is now transferring its knowledge directly into Australia, offering solutions for the safe receipt, decontamination, storage, and disposal of NORM-contaminated equipment and materials, all to the highest safety and environmental standards, through its recently-established NORM capability in Dampier.
The other contracts won by the company are a multi-year logistics services contract supporting chemical recovery, reclamation and recycling activities across a range of critical industrial sectors; integrated marine agency services; and camp and camp management services.
Mike Pettigrew, group chief executive officer at ASCO, said, “These contract wins highlight ASCO’s growing presence across Australia and our ability to deliver integrated solutions from planning through to execution.”
Warren McHardie, Australia Managing Director for ASCO, added, "Securing these contracts strengthens our role in delivering critical energy and industrial projects across Australia. Our integrated model spanning offshore decommissioning to onshore operations brings together expertise, systems, and innovation to create lasting value for our clients".
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