Experts from law firm Pinsent Masons have highlighted the challenges and opportunities arising from decommissioning activities in Australia.
Senior Associate Angus Frean, an energy and infrastructure specialist said, “Offshore decommissioning campaigns are incredibly complex.
“They involve lining up availability of highly specialised vessels, specialist subcontractors and equipment and port access while also navigating the logistical issues arising from the vast distances involved and work constraints arising from offshore conditions.
“Any disruption on a decommissioning campaign is likely to result in significant delays and, potentially, be very costly.”
The infrastructure can also be a long way offshore, increasing the risk of bringing contaminants from those areas back and potentially harming the fragile Australian ecosystem.
In contrast, leaving equipment or infrastructure offshore requires consideration of the environmental impact that degradation of equipment and infrastructure can have over time.
Partner Florence Riviere, an expert in planning and environment law at Pinsent Masons, speaking at the recent D&A AUS 2025 conference, said, “Research and data of environmental impacts in Australian waters is still in its infancy, but it is a constantly changing landscape, with an increased interest and awareness about the environmental impact of offshore projects, including because of an increase in offshore wind projects.
“Environmental approvals for major offshore projects are likely to be under increasingly greater scrutiny, with further challenges to environmental approvals anticipated,” she said.
“It is essential that environmental plans and assessments, including consultation, are undertaken comprehensively and exhaustively, with an eye on recent legal and scientific developments.”
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Sapura Energy, which has been conducting work on Australia’s Northern Endeavour project, said it intends to extend its involvement in the decommissioning and abandonment (D&A) sector as activity grows.
The Malaysia-based group stated that it is realigning its engineering and construction segment “to meet evolving industry demands” across a range of geographical areas and industry niches.“
Through its joint venture, Kitar Solutions, the group also plans to grow its presence in decommissioning services, leveraging established expertise and client networks,” it noted.
The partnership between Sapura Energy and Kitar Solutions, also links up with expertise from AF Offshore Decom, which leverages two decades of North Sea decommissioning expertise, as well as bringing in strategic offshore and onshore assets suitable for decommissioning services in Australia and across the south-east Asia region and elsewhere.
Earlier this year, the light well intervention vessel, the Sapura Constructor, completed work in the Laminaria-Corallina oil fields covering well suspension and flushing, as part of the Northern Endeavour floating production storage and offtake (FPSO) vessel decommissioning programme.
The campaign, which started in September 2024, is being overseen by Phase 1 contractor Petrofac Facilities Management Limited.
Sapura Energy said it also intends to optimise the deployment of other assets, such as Sapura 3500 and Sapura 1200, in non-decommissioning work to regions with “higher market activity”, identifying Brazil as a key area of operation, with all six of its jointly-owned pipelay vessels operating under long-term contracts.
Work to decommission the Northern Endeavour in the Timor Sea is moving to the next phase after the floating production storage and offtake (FPSO) vessel was disconnected from the Corallina and Laminaria oilfields recently.
Australia’s Department for Industry, Science and Resources reported that the decommissioning programme had accomplished what it called a “significant milestone” following the disconnection of risers and umbilical pipelines that had connected the vessel to the oilfields for 26 years, a step that “reduces risk to people and the environment.”
The process has not been without its challenges though after the FPSO reportedly lost power, resulting in the evacuation of crew as a safety precaution, according to a number of media outlets.
It is understood that power has now been restored to the ex-Woodside vessel, which is located some 550 km northwest of Darwin.
Phase 1 contractor Petrofac Facilities Management Limited and multi-purpose vessel, Skandi Hercules, cut eight risers and lowered them to the seabed.
“Removing the connection between the FPSO and the wells means there’s no risk of oil leaking from the FPSO,” the Department noted.
“The disconnection marks an important point in the FPSO’s history since its initial connection to the subsea wells in 1999.”
Nine mooring chains keep the FPSO connected to the seabed, holding it securely in place.
Cutting the chains will be one of the final milestones before removal of the FPSO from the field, an operation scheduled for later in 2025.
The COSCO semi-submersible heavy transport vessel, Hua Rui Long — the third largest of its kind in the world — will eventually tow the FPSO to a facility for decontamination, dismantling and recycling.
Dry towing is deemed the safest and most reliable method to transport a vessel of this size and condition, according to the Department.
The Northern Endeavour FPSO is 274m in length and weighs over 43,000t.
Officials are still going through tenders to find a supplier to ultimately recycle the FPSO.
The offshore decommissioning market is forecast to grow from US$9.56bn in 2024 to US$15.4bn by 2032, at a CAGR of around 6.1% during this period, according to a new report from Wise Guy Reports
The offshore decommissioning market is seeing strong activity as ageing offshore oil and gas infrastructure reaches the end of its operational lifecycle. Increasingly stringent regulatory requirements, safety concerns, economic considerations and ESG commitments are among the other factors driving the market.
Key players are increasingly collaborating with environmental and engineering firms to streamline operations and minimise environmental impact. The market is also moving from traditional heavy-lift methods to more efficient, automated, and cost-effective solutions.
Technological advancements are having a strong impact on the decommissioning sector, the report notes. Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are widely used to inspect and dismantle subsea structures, reducing the need for human involvement and enhancing safety. Advanced vessels equipped with heavy-lift cranes and modular lifting systems allow for safer and more efficient removal of topsides and jackets. Companies are leveraging digital twin technology to simulate the decommissioning process, allowing better planning and execution while minimising operational risks. There is a growing emphasis on recycling and reusing decommissioned materials. Technologies are being developed to treat and dispose of hazardous waste in environmentally friendly ways. New methods for sealing wells are emerging, including resin-based and thermite plug technologies, which enhance sealing reliability and reduce long-term environmental risks.
“The global offshore decommissioning market, once seen as a financial liability, is now evolving into a specialised and profitable sector, offering lucrative opportunities for engineering firms, service providers, and environmental consultancies,” the report comments.
The risks and challenges are also highlighted. These include the high costs of the decommissioning process, often deterring operators from initiating timely projects unless strictly mandated. Navigating different regulatory environments across countries and regions adds complexity and uncertainty to project planning and execution. There is a shortage of specialised vessels, equipment, and skilled professionals capable of executing complex offshore decommissioning tasks. If not executed properly, decommissioning activities can cause environmental damage, including oil spills, disturbance to marine ecosystems, and improper disposal of waste.
“One of the key trends anticipated is the emergence of decommissioning hubs—strategic locations equipped with recycling and waste management facilities that serve as central points for multiple projects,” the report says. “Another trend is the rise of collaborative decommissioning models, where operators with adjacent platforms work together to share infrastructure, vessels, and project timelines to reduce costs.”
Abandoned oil and gas facilities are a significant source of methane emissions, according to the IEA’s recently-released Global Methane Tracker 2025.
IEA analysis suggests that the energy sector was responsible for around 145 Mt of methane emissions in 2024 – more than 35% of the total amount attributable to human activity. Oil operations were responsible for around 45 Mt, natural gas operations for nearly 35 Mt, and abandoned wells for around 3 Mt. An additional 2 Mt of methane leaked from end-use equipment.
Most properly plugged wells emit negligible amounts of methane. But if wells are not properly decommissioned and sealed, they can continue emitting methane for many years, through cracks, fissures and gaps. Most emissions result from wells that have recently been abandoned, which highlights how essential it is to plug and monitor wells that are no longer operational in a timely fashion.
The IEA notes that emissions from abandoned facilities are not given sufficient attention in policies and regulations. It argues that governments can play a critical role, for example by requiring close and decommissioning plans to incorporate measures to mitigate methane emissions. Here, a distinction need to be made between wells for which an operator is accountable and those for which no operator can be identified, ie “orphaned” facilities. In cases where an identified operator is responsible, governments can require operators to perform closure activities for assets being decommissioned, such as plugging and well integrity monitoring. Governments can require operators to set aside funds throughout the asset’s life to finance the decommissioning of abandoned wells.
In the case of orphaned wells, governments can inventory these facilities to identify the main methane emitters. The USA for example has established a programme to identify and inventory orphaned wells on federal lands, which includes measuring and tracking their methane emissions. Western Australia is among those jurisdictions which have undertaken similar inventories. While under the EU Methane Regulation, Member states are required to establish inventories of non-producing wells, identify responsible parties, and take action to mitigate any emissions by August 2025.
To reduce methane emissions from orphaned wells, governments can provide public funding for plugging and sealing. Closure projects could also be made eligible for carbon credits, allowing project operators to trade these credits on carbon markets, the IEA suggests, adding that fees collected from operational assets could help to finance closure activities.
Decommissioning Australia’s ageing oil infrastructure will not only be a test of the industry’s technical and engineering prowess – increasingly, it will also challenge its economics.
With the slump in oil prices undermining the finances of the major oil and gas companies in recent months, operators will need to work harder and smarter to meet stringent decommissioning objectives in the face of tighter spending constraints.
Oil prices have drifted downwards for the most part this year, at times below US$60 per barrel, squeezing budgets across the board.
Max Oppenheimer, Client Advocate - Energy at Miller Insurance, said this will test decommissioning activities across all major oil and gas production basins in the world.
Potentially, it could also trigger an acceleration in decommissioning work as operators seek to retire ageing, underperforming assets.
“Previous slumps in the oil price in 2014, and during the 2020 onset of Covid-19, impacted project economics and saw periods of accelerated decommissioning activity as operator’s sought to cold stack ageing assets to mitigate their losses,” Oppenheimer noted in a 9th May 2025 briefing posted on the company’s website.
“Prices are currently testing post-Covid lows, and risk managers may once again be faced with addressing decommissioning risk concerns sooner and on accelerated timescales.”
From an insurance perspective, Oppenheimer also outlined a range of claims scenarios that could arise from decommissioning activities and that should be considered by operators, as well as risk managers.
Australia may, however, be able to learn lessons from other major producing regions across the globe, he added, notably mature basins such as the North Sea.
“Decommissioning is a global challenge to the energy industry,” said Oppenheimer. “The greatest obligations currently reside in the North Sea basin, followed by Brazil and the USA.”
In the North Sea, a total of 22 fields ceased production during 2024, and up to 40% of currently producing fields could cease production by 2030 based upon current investment plans, or sooner if investment cases falter based on a lower crude outlook.
At the end of 2024, a backlog of 483 wells in the UK sector alone required plugging and abandonment activities, a number that could double to 2030.
“The UK challenge is particularly acute,” said Oppenheimer, “with annual decommissioning spend set to average in excess of US$3bn in the mid-term outlook.”
Australia recently agreed to work more closely with the UK in the area of decommissioning as the task becomes more pressing.
Global Underwater Hub (GUH) and Subsea Innovation Cluster Australia (SICA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in April to collaborate in the subsea sector, with a focus on areas such as decommissioning, as well as carbon capture.
At the time of the announcement, GUH Chief Executive, Neil Gordon, said decommissioning represented a “significant opportunity” in Australia, where the inventory of subsea assets to be decommissioned includes over 1,500 wells and structures and 4,500km of pipelines.
This would stimulate “major opportunities” for specialist plugging, cutting, inspection and recovery technologies, he noted.
Offshore contractor Allseas — which has been tasked with decommissioning work in the Bass Strait for ExxonMobil Australia — is expanding its fleet.
Its new cargo barge, Braveheart, which is being added to the fleet to boost flexibility for heavy lift campaigns, is now taking shape at the CIMC Changhong Shipyard near Shanghai in China.
Following official keel laying in April, the first of 145 huge steel blocks – together weighing a massive 26,000 tonnes – has been lifted into the dry dock for assembly, outfitting and painting.
At 200 metres long and 57 metres wide, it’s a close match to another Allseas barge, Iron Lady, but with key enhancements: a deeper operational draught, a full electric ballast system for faster load transfer operations and a significantly higher deck load capacity.
Together, Allseas’ trio of purpose-built cargo barges — Iron Lady, Braveheart and Bumblebee — will support the company’s platform removal and installation operations, delivering efficient topsides and jackets loading and transfer solutions to and from disposal yards.
The company has already started planning and preparation for what will be the largest offshore decommissioning assignment in Australian yet on behalf of Exxon subsidiary, Esso Australia Pty Ltd.
Allseas last year secured the contract to remove up to 12 retired platforms from the Gippsland Basin in the Bass Strait, with a combined weight of approximately 60,000 tonnes.
It plans to remove all the structures with another vessel, Pioneering Spirit — currently active in the North Sea — during an intense campaign beginning in late 2027.
Once safely removed, the facilities will be transferred to barges or vessels for load-in to the Barry Beach Marine Terminal in Victoria for dismantling and recycling by a separate onshore contractor.
In the meantime, Allseas is expanding its fleet with the Braveheart barge, which is expected to launch this September, with delivery scheduled at the end of 2025.
At the Chinese shipyard, the first construction phase in the dock focuses on the bottom section of the ballast pump room housing critical equipment.
Installing these blocks first allows the yard to immediately begin fitting the 1.5-metre diameter ballast pipes and four powerful ballast pumps, capable of moving nearly 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools' worth of water every hour.
Once this phase is complete, construction will move on to phase two: assembling the engine room.
Allseas also announced this month two further newbuild offshore construction vessels to enhance its fleet, to be built by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group in China.
A report by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering on Offshore oil and Gas Decommissioning Technologies has highlighted Australian research and technology capabilities and gaps.
The report argues that there are a number of areas where further R&D would benefit the decommissioning industry, particularly towards the end of the decommissioning value chain around waste management, recycling opportunities and the environmental impact of decommissioning. Australia’s focus on environmental protection will provide opportunities for further research both at home and abroad, the ATSE comments.
With world-leading marine research, strong transferable geotechnical skills from the mineral resources sector, and the government’s Net Zero by 2050 commitment, Australia has an opportunity to leverage this expertise and momentum to drive technology innovations in decommissioning which are suited to Australia’s unique marine ecosystems.
The report highlights Australian strengths in marine science and contamination research, making it well placed to lead research on the impact of contaminants on the environment and ecosystems. The nation is home to three major national marine science organisations – CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, which produce world-leading marine research – as well as a number of other national centres of research excellence in this domain. The report identifies research gaps in contaminant profiling of infrastructure; contaminant exposure limits; mapping of contaminants through ecosystems; long-term impacts of contaminant exposure; real-time, in-field contaminant monitoring technologies; domestic facility re-use profiling; and integrity and environmental management for in situ decommissioning.
Another research strength is recycling; Australia has set ambitious targets for waste recovery and recycling, supported by funding into initiatives such as the AUD $250 million Recycling Modernisation Fund, and the establishment in 2024 of the Solving Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre, focused on designing out plastic waste and supporting the transitions of companies in Australia's plastics value chain. The report identifies research gaps in cleaning process optimisation; plastic waste recycling pathways; and new and improved waste recycling pathways.
With well-established oil and gas and mineral extraction industries, and the presence of large industry players driving technological and process innovations, Australia has the opportunity to leverage its expertise to facilitate research into oil and gas decommissioning technologies, the report suggests. Research gaps exist in waste transport approaches; waste management infrastructure and circular economy planning; long-term impacts of contaminant exposure; and domestic facility re-use profiling.
The report notes that Australia and its universities have limited expertise in developing technologies specifically for oil and gas decommissioning, suggesting that Australian universities should be encouraged to develop links with private industry and government research funding to develop the necessary expertise and address capability gaps in conjunction with universities with strengths in these areas, including those in Norway, the UK and the US Gulf of America.
Woodside Energy is currently executing a number of decommissioning projects offshore Australia, and in its Q1 2025 report, outlined progress in the quarter.
The company concluded the multi-year decommissioning programme at Enfield, offshore Australia, safely and successfully completing the removal of all facilities, with the recovery of final infrastructure in February. Only survey activities remain. It commenced deconstruction of the Griffin Riser Turret Mooring at the Australian Marine Complex in preparation for recycling and reuse, and continued decommissioning activities at Bass Strait, completing the plug and abandonment activities for 27 wells, including on the Bream B platform. Plug and abandonment activities commenced on the Kingfish A and Cobia platforms.
Subsequent to the quarter, Woodside concluded the 10-well Stybarrow plug and abandonment campaign, took delivery of a mobile offshore drilling unit at the Minerva field, offshore Victoria, and commenced preparations to plug and abandon the first of three Minerva wells.
Woodside is now planning to undertake subsea and well infrastructure removal decommissioning activities within the Angel Field.
In line with requirements under the Environment regulation, the company has submitted an Environment Plan to National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) which is currently under assessment, covering removal of redundant subsea infrastructure in the Angel Field.
The Angel subsea and well infrastructure is located around the Angel production platform in Commonwealth waters, approximately 125 km north of Dampier. The subsea infrastructure is in water depths between approximately 77 m and 85 m. Woodside plans to remove redundant Angel subsea infrastructure and three production wells connected to the Angel platform. Subsea infrastructure removal activities are currently planned to commence by 1 December 2026 subject to approvals and vessel availability. Subsea decommissioning activities are currently scheduled for around three months between around Q3 2026 and Q1 2027.
On its website, Woodside underlines its commitment to executing decommissioning activities with a focus on safety and the environment, coupled with efficiency. “Decommissioning is integrated into project planning and operations, from the early stages of development through to the end of field life. This includes conducting assessments to inform our planning and decision making, which is underpinned by science and marine research. In the developing regulatory environment, we continue to listen, learn and respond to our stakeholders, while expanding our global decommissioning experience,” the company says.
Woodside’s decommissioning approach recognises the importance of reusing and recycling material from its decommissioning activities where possible. Its waste mitigation hierarchy prioritises reduction, reuse, recycling, and treatment over disposal.
The decommissioning challenge facing Australia is coming into sharp focus, presenting critical legal and contractual issues for all involved, according to law firm Wotton Kearney (WK).
In a recent update, the firm outlined the scale of the task facing operators, contractors and engineering teams against a regulatory environment that will be watching closely.
Over the next 50 years, Australia is expected to see more than US$40bn in offshore decommissioning activity, with most of that spend focused on well plugging and abandonment, as well as pipeline removal.
Titleholders are legally responsible for the full cost and safe removal of offshore infrastructure under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, and must meet strict environmental and consultation obligations.
“While this signals significant economic opportunities for the broader Australian maritime sector,” WK noted in the update, “in an era when much greater focus and emphasis is placed on the green economy, decarbonising, and prioritising environmentally sound practices over economic expediency, it also raises questions.”
These questions include not only the technical feasibility in carrying out these complex and potentially hazardous operations, but also precisely what the decommissioning and environmental obligations are for operators and infrastructure owners.
“The media has recently focused on some high profile examples, such as Esso’s decommissioning plan for 12 platforms in the Bass Strait, Victoria, with the Maritime Union of Australia raising concerns that not all of the infrastructure will be removed,” the WK update added.
It noted that the discussion around Esso’s proposal has prompted debate as to what the 2006 Act actually permits.
“While decommissioning activities under the 2006 Act cannot commence without the titleholders securing a series of environmental approvals through the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), Esso’s decommissioning proposal includes leaving rigs in place and converting these into artificial reefs. This was previously done in the Gulf of Mexico.”
But the practice of leaving some infrastructure in place has created debate about the environmental implications and whether that breaches any legal obligations, WK added in the update.
In this regard, decommissioning involves a range of “complex and sometimes controversial issues,” WK stated.
Australia, like other nations, also has international obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1994 (UNCLOS), which is the primary international legal instrument governing decommissioning.
What it means is that “complying with regulatory requirements for decommissioning is far from the straightforward.”
That is purely from a legal and regulatory perspective, without the additional burden from any public scrutiny or reputational risks arising from decommissioning activities.
“It’s therefore crucial to develop an appropriate strategy with appropriate stakeholders, align this with insurance cover, and coordinate execution of this plan with logistic and supply chain suppliers,” WK added.
The law firm is exploring some of these issues in a series on decommissioning to identify key issues for stakeholders and to help navigate the uncertainties ahead.
Earlier in the year the Centre of Decommissioning Australia welcomed Simon Kemp as the latest member to its Industry Advisory Committee.
Simon, whose current role is Decommissioning Manager at ExxonMobil Australia, has brought two decades’ worth of industry experience to the role. After spending 23 years with ExxonMobile in diverse roles across offshore projects in the Bass Strait, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the Committee.
Now based in Melbourne, Simon leads the strategic planning for decommissioning ExxonMobil Australia’s Gippsland operations.
Commenting on the new position, Simon said, “I’m looking forward to continuing my work with CODA in this new role, helping advance Australia’s capabilities in responsible and sustainable decommissioning.”
A recent breach flagged by Australia’s offshore regulator Nopsema during decommissioning activities on the Stybarrow field highlights some of the hazards now facing operators.
As Australia’s decommissioning effort gathers pace — an industry estimated to be worth US$60bn over the next few decades — oil and gas operators must seek to navigate what is becoming an increasingly complex legal and regulatory minefield.
Nopsema recently issued US-based offshore contractor McDermott with an ‘Improvement Notice’ citing safety concerns on its DLV2000 construction vessel.
The ship was undertaking decommissioning activities at the Stybarrow field for operator, Woodside Energy, but was ordered to cease work until it had rectified any breaches.
A Nopsema inspector visited the ship in March and raised concerns about the securing of a portable generator, which it was claimed could have resulted in heightened health and safety risks to personnel on board.
“The incorrect securing of the generator resulted in the generator shifting, when the generator was used as a secure point for belaying a tag line, subsequently the tag line became snagged,” the Improvment Notice stated on 20 March, 2025.
“The Manual does not describe the assurance procedure to ensure the generator has suitable sea fastening.”
The status of the case has now been marked as ‘Complied With’, which suggests that McDermott took immediate action to rectify the issue.
It highlights the increasing glare of regulators on the industry as it grapples with the decommissioning challenge.
Nopsema has scrutinised the work of other offshore contractors in recent times, including Subsea 7, though this was not linked to decommissioning activities.
The Stybarrow development is situated within production licence WA-32-L located on the North West Shelf in Commonwealth waters ranging from 700 to 850 metres in depth, approximately 51 km northwest of the North West Cape, Western Australia.
First oil was produced at the field in 2007 and production ceased in 2015.
Subsea infrastructure connected the field’s reservoirs to the Stybarrow floating production, storage and offtake (FPSO) facility, which has already been removed.
At the cessation of production, all wells were bull-headed and valves were pressure tested and closed, while flowlines were flushed with treated seawater.
Ongoing operations involve periodic surface and subsea inspections of the remaining subsea infrastructure.
“Well abandonment and full-field decommissioning of the remaining infrastructure will be undertaken at a future point in time and will be subject to separate approvals for this phase of activities,” Nopsema states in an information resource on its website.
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