Chevron has recently completed a rigs-to-reef campaign across the former Genesis Platform which was submerged off the cost of Louisiana last year.
In its previous life above the waves, Genesis was referred to as an ‘offshore gamechanger’ with its 705-foot, 28,700-ton steel floating spar which was the first to house both drilling and production facilities.
Now, the platform houses an abundance of marine life after the operator chose to undergo a rigs-to-reef programme. This is not the first time Chevron has repurposed offshore components, in 2022 the Pascagoula Refinery donated equipment to be repurposed into artificial reefs.
Given the sheer scope of end-of-life activities needed across the Gulf for aged assets, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has adopted the rigs-to-reef programme, and it is has presented itself as an attractive option for operators to lessen the financial burden of their decommissioning liabilities.
More information regarding rigs-to-reef programmes across the Gulf of Mexico can be found here and here.
