Development of an Engineering Guideline for Offshore Pipeline Decommissioning

Benefits

Decommissioning is the final stage of an asset’s lifecycle. The guideline provides guidance to the industry on how to decommission an offshore pipeline. Application of the guideline contributes to improved clarity, potential cost reductions and opportunities for improving engineering processes associated with decommissioning activities.

Background

Prior to its development, there was no guideline that is specific to the engineering considerations for decommissioning of offshore pipelines. Therefore, there was a need to develop a guideline that could be utilised by offshore pipeline operators and the wider industry. This guideline contributed to the technical knowledge base of the industry by providing a process for evaluation, planning and implementation of offshore pipeline decommissioning projects. The guideline is aligned with Australian and international pipeline standards and regulatory requirements.

Work Performed by Atteris

The guideline is presented in two parts. Part 1 is a Desktop Study that presents a literature review of published documentation on offshore pipeline decommissioning, which formed the basis of the engineering guideline. Part 2 is the Engineering Guideline that presents the process and technical considerations for carrying out decommissioning of an offshore pipeline.

The literature review included international and domestic decommissioning legislation, codes of practice, standards, guidelines, case studies and research papers that were published by the Australian Government, offshore pipeline operators, oil and gas regulators and the engineering community.

The decommissioning guideline describes the factors that should be considered to arrive at a decision on the requirements for the safe decommissioning of an offshore pipeline system. A step-by-step decommissioning process is defined and the engineering considerations at each stage is discussed.