Oil, Gas and PetrochemicalsOffshore Decommissioning and Asset Retirement
Removing a platform and plugging a field's wells can cost as much as building them did, and the liability stays with the licence holders until the work is finished and accepted. It opens with the regulatory and contractual framework: IMO guidelines, national abandonment rules, decommissioning security agreements and residual liability of former partners. Planning the work follows: late life strategy, cessation of production, well plug and abandonment, flushing and cleaning, topside removal options, jacket and subsea structure removal, pipeline leave in place decisions and onshore disposal. Cost estimation, comparative assessment of options, environmental surveys and stakeholder consultation come next, with reference to ageing Gulf of Guinea fields. Participants leave able to prepare a decommissioning programme, estimate its cost and defend it to regulators and the public.
Course objectives
- Explain international and national rules governing offshore decommissioning
- Plan late life operations and the transition to cessation of production
- Describe well plug and abandonment requirements and barrier design
- Compare removal options for topsides, jackets and subsea structures
- Apply comparative assessment to pipeline and structure disposal decisions
- Estimate decommissioning cost and the provisions that fund it
- Structure decommissioning security and liability arrangements between partners
- Prepare a decommissioning programme for regulatory approval
Who should attend
- Asset managers of late life fields
- Decommissioning and well engineers
- Regulators responsible for abandonment approvals
- Finance staff managing decommissioning provisions
- Environmental and stakeholder engagement specialists
Course outline
- 01Regulatory and liability framework
- 02Late life planning and cessation of production
- 03Well plug and abandonment
- 04Cleaning and making safe
- 05Topside and jacket removal methods
- 06Subsea infrastructure and pipelines
- 07Comparative assessment and environmental surveys
- 08Cost estimation and financial security
- 09Programme preparation and approval
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 to 6 November 2026 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | |
| 30 November to 4 December 2026 | Kampala, Uganda | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 4 to 8 January 2027 | Accra, Ghana | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 8 to 12 February 2027 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 15 to 19 February 2027 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 22 to 26 February 2027 | Lusaka, Zambia | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate |
Offshore Decommissioning and Asset Retirement
From R8,500