Flexible approach to decom challenges

Can you complete a SURF decommissioning scope safely, efficiently and using readily-available assets? It's all doable - with an expert partner by your side.

The decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure is a complex and challenging undertaking. Once vital to energy production, these systems eventually reach a point where they are no longer commercially viable. Decommissioning them safely and efficiently is essential for environmental protection and responsible resource management.

However, decommissioning presents a number of significant challenges, which can be broadly categorised into three main areas: cost, complexity and safety.

• Cost: Decommissioning projects can be expensive, involving the removal of large numbers of structures, including pipelines, from harsh environments. The cost can vary depending on the size and location of the field, as well as the complexity of the decommissioning process.
• Complexity: There is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to decommissioning. Each project is unique and requires careful planning and execution. This complexity can make it difficult to find the most cost-effective and efficient decommissioning solution.
• Safety: Decommissioning carries an array of hazards, from dangerous activities such as cutting and lifting of aged and potentially compromised equipment, to handling waste material that may be potentially toxic, as a result of the marine environment interacting with the submerged materials, sometimes for decades. These can carry far reaching risks to personnel and the environment, and therefore it is essential to have a thorough safety plan in place and to work with experienced professionals to mitigate risks.

MDL: A partner for successful decommissioning

MDL is known for out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to challenges surrounding handling of flexible products, most notably, by applying proven technology and approaches in an innovative way to deliver higher efficiency and improve safety of operations.

The company’s track record includes a number of decommissioning scopes, where those cost, complexity and safety challenges were overcome through a combination of technical expertise and innovative approaches.

This experience - part of a 25-year heritage of designing, delivering and operating highly specialist equipment across the world, allows MDL’s team of experts to develop and implement decommissioning plans that are tailored to the specific needs of each project.

Project Management: MDL's project management team has a proven track record of delivering decommissioning projects on time and within budget. When it comes to flexibles, they have the expertise to manage all aspects of the decommissioning process, from planning, to execution, quayside management and closeout with scrappage or recycling companies, complete with disposal notes. This includes supporting clients’ offshore scopes - such as provision of portable equipment for vessels of opportunity for recovery of rigid pipe to deck and cutting into manageable sections as well as complete PM&E of onshore disposal of flexibles such as risers and polyester mooring rope.

Equipment Solutions: MDL has a large inventory of specialised equipment for optimised product handling, ranging from market-leading master systems proven in flex-lay – and therefore providing peace of mind on secure handling – supplemented by our robust Life of Field assets including sheers, grabs and a marine cranes.

Tailored Approach: This portable and versatile fleet enables decommissioning of small diameter steel pipe and larger flexibles safely and efficiently, with the most optimal spread tailored to each scope, taking into account the known product parameters, any jewellery or ancillaries that need attention, environmental characteristics, as well as available vessels and their back-deck capacity. Thanks to this inherent flexible thinking we were able to package two decom spreads to enable the release of Balder FPSO to head to port for maintenance works – each optimised for the scope at hand but fitted on the same vessel.

Engineering: MDL's engineering team has the expertise to develop and implement safe and efficient decommissioning solutions, through a wide range of engineering services, including structural analysis, lifting engineering, product handling analysis with recommended squeeze settings, followed by vessel preparation works - such as deck layouts and sea fastening. They can also design bespoke systems to efficiently tackle challenging scopes – one recent example being the Wheeled Horizontal Lay System, delivered to a Brazilian contractor to undertake a 22-month SURF retrieval campaign in Petrobras’ deep waters.

Innovative approaches

Ingenious technology such as the WHLS is one way in which MDL changes the game when it comes to improving operations at all stages of a field’s life - but it’s not the only way. The creative minds at MDL are continuously looking at improving established approaches with proven technologies, current capacity of the supply chain and learnings from its 25-year marine past. And, contrary to popular belief, innovative thinking like this is not an unnecessary cost for a decommissioning project - in fact, it may be the saving grace of the project’s budget: helping to reduce the cost and complexity of decommissioning projects, without compromising on safety.

MDL's Flexible Decom Packages offer a lean approach to decommissioning that can help to reduce costs and project timelines, by using assets available in the market. MDL technology’s inherent advantage is optimised handling of flexibles; and while safe handling is imperative to prolong the life of a flexible newly deployed subsea, it is equally as important during retrieval, when you take into account the risks that improper handling holds for all involved and the environment. MDL’s Project Management & Engineering team ensures that these packages are tailored to meet the specific needs of each project.