List of Top 10 Abandoned Oil Rigs in the World
Hundreds of abandoned oil and gas facilities are located in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean, posing a threat to the marine environment and coastal communities.
Offshore oil and gas companies typically abandon oil platforms when they are no longer economically viable, either due to depleted wells or insufficient oil production to generate profits. Bankruptcy is also a reason. However, proper procedures must be followed when decommissioning platforms for economic or environmental reasons.
Most offshore companies partially decommission these facilities, assuming they will be decommissioned again in the future, which can have serious impacts on marine life. Inadequately decommissioned oil platforms may leak oil or gas into the ocean, which can be catastrophic for marine flora and fauna, and negatively impact the economy and local communities.
Natural factors such as corrosion, tropical storm damage, and other forms of exposure make them time bombs that can cause significant losses at any time.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 abandoned oil rigs in this article.
1. Brent Spar
This floating platform in the North Sea was used as an oil buoy and storage tank until it was decommissioned in 1991. Built in 1976, it stands 482 feet (approximately 145 meters) high and can store around 300,000 barrels of crude oil.
The platform, operated by British Shell in the Brent oil field, lost its function after a pipeline was connected to an oil terminal in the Shetland Islands.
The disposal of platform waste became a concern after British authorities approved Shell to dump platform waste in the Atlantic Ocean near the North Fenni Mountains (250 kilometers off the west coast of Scotland).
Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace organized several protests against the decision, forcing Shell to abandon the plan.
Shell eventually decided to dispose of the platform on land, temporarily moving it to a fjord in Norway. The platform was subsequently dismantled and most of its structure was reused for the construction of a new port near Norway.
Some of its parts were reportedly abandoned on land, which also caused environmental problems.
2. Elly Platform
The platform was built by Royal Dutch Shell in 1980 and is located about nine miles off the coast of Huntington Beach. In 2021, an oil spill occurred in Orange County, and a pipeline from Ely to the Port of Long Beach leaked 144,000 gallons of crude oil.
Despite this, Ely has become one of the most popular diving destinations in Southern California.
Exploring the waters near the platform, you can see mussels, sponges, corals, sea lions, brittle sea stars, and anemones near the steel piles.
People have also captured videos of at least four types of bioluminescent jellyfish near the Ili Platform, including the Garibaldi jellyfish, the half-moon jellyfish, and other groupers.
Due to the strong currents, diving here is only recommended for experienced divers. Always be careful when swimming between dense underwater steel structures.
As the number of decommissioned offshore platforms in the area continues to increase, there is discussion of leaving some of the platforms underwater and transforming them into artificial reefs to support the growth of marine flora and fauna.
3. MX-1 Platform
The MX-1 oil platform was decommissioned in 2011 after 20 years of operation and has since become a haven for marine life.
It is one of several oil platforms on the northern coast of Peru and is owned by the Peruvian state oil company. The platform is facing decommissioning, but organizations such as the Coastal Ocean Observatory are opposed to this.
The platform, moored near Los Organos, became home to 57 species of invertebrates and 26 species of fish after it was abandoned.
Its legs and other aquatic surfaces are ideal for marine life. Its mounds are fixed to the seafloor and provide a habitat for a variety of corals, algae, and invertebrates.
It is located in warm waters where ocean currents converge, which helps to form a diverse marine ecosystem.
4. The Red Hawk
This mast was installed in 5,300 feet of water in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. A decade later, in 2014, it became the only mast ever built and made headlines for being the deepest floating production facility decommissioned in the region.
The facility was designed to last 20 years and had enough space to accommodate additional oil processing equipment as new fields were discovered.
Anadarko considered several options before decommissioning the facility, which was scheduled to expire its lease in 2012. Reusing the facility would have required major modifications, as it was deemed unprofitable and had been built before a series of Category 5 hurricanes hit the Gulf of Mexico.
Decommissioning the facility was also not an option. So, its deck and other machinery were removed. The company then decided to restore the mast in Block 384, Eugene Island, off the coast of Louisiana. Today, it is a thriving habitat for marine life.
5. Platform Holly
The Holly oil platform is located near Santa Barbara, California. The platform became state property after its owner, Venoco, filed for bankruptcy.
In 2015, the Refugio oil spill resulted in 140,000 gallons of oil leaking from an onshore pipeline connected to the Hawley platform, halting oil production from the platform.
California has taken over the platform and is working to stabilize and decommission it. All 30 oil and gas wells on the platform have been shut down and disconnected from onshore facilities. Pipelines are being cleaned and flushed to remove any harmful residue.
An environmental impact report is due to be completed by 2025; however, the platform remains abandoned and rusting.
Chris Goldblatt, CEO of the Fish Reef Project, has requested that officials investigate the impact on marine life near the platform. He said that completely removing the platform would kill millions of organisms living on its supports. He noted that seagrass restoration techniques could increase fish populations near their sites of support.
6. Hidalgo Platform
This offshore oil and gas rig is situated in the Cape Aguero field of the Santa Maria Basin, located off the coast of California, in water depths ranging from 500 to 600 feet. The platform was commissioned in 1985 and began oil and gas production in 1991.
An environmental assessment indicates that the platform will be decommissioned after reaching the end of its useful life. Its wells will be plugged, and the casing will be removed. Freeport-McMoran owns the platform; however, the company has not yet proposed a plan to decommission or remove the platform.
Plugging of the platform’s wells began in 2020, and its casing will be cut and loaded onto the Harvey Challenger well for unloading and disposal at the Port of San Pedro. However, the area currently remains deserted as work continues.
7. Kinsale head
The Kinsale gas field is located in the Celtic Sea, approximately 30 to 70 kilometers off the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. The fields, which include Cape Severn, Cape Kinsale, Ballycotton and South West Kinsale, were developed between the 1970s and 2003.
These fields were the only source of natural gas in Ireland until Shell developed the Corrib field in 2015.
The fields are operated by PSE Kinsale Energy, a subsidiary of Malaysia’s Petronas. Plans are underway to shut down the fields and their associated infrastructure due to dwindling gas reserves. The wells are expected to come on stream in 2020 and the closure of the offshore facilities will take two to three years.
The offshore facilities are located at a water depth of 90 meters and consist of two steel platforms, Kinsale Bravo and Kinsale Alpha, which were put into operation in 1978.
8. Balmoral Field Platforms
Premier Oil plans to decommission the Balmoral field in the UK North Sea after production ceases in 2022.
Installed in 1986, the FPV platform is a semi-submersible floating platform secured by a mooring system connected by eight anchor piles.
The platform contains living facilities and equipment for processing hydrocarbons, which are then transported through pipelines.
The FPV platform will be moved to the quayside for reuse or decommissioning. The offshore facilities will be moved to shore for recycling, and the pipelines will be properly disposed of.
9. Brent Delta
At its peak, the Brent field, operated by Shell, met 10% of the UK’s oil and gas needs in the 1990s and early 2000s. It was once the most productive field in the North Sea.
However, production declined, and in 2006, the government decided to decommission the field and all its associated infrastructure.
The decommissioned platform comprises four main areas: accommodation, drilling and operations, and a helipad. In 2017, the 24,200-ton Brent Delta platform became the first platform to be decommissioned by the largest construction vessel, Pioneering Spirit.
After seven years of preparation, this milestone was finally achieved, with the platform being moved to a berth at the Port of Apelseton in Hartlepool. Later, in 2019, the removal of the Brent Bravo platform took just four hours.
10. Hutton Oilfield TLP
The field is located on the UK Continental Shelf, in the East Shetland Basin of the North Sea. It was discovered in 1973 and named after James Horton, an 18th-century geologist.
The field began production in 1984 and ceased production in 2001. Over its lifetime, the field produced a total of 265 million barrels of oil.
The Horton Field (TPL) is designed to operate for 25 years at depths ranging from 100 to 1000 meters. It has 16 tension piles weighing between 46,000 and 55,000 tons. It has 100 compartments and only 40 personnel are required to maintain its structure.
During the decommissioning of the field, Kerr-McGee took over the operation of the field and dismantled the TLP platform for reuse. The floating platform was towed to Russia, where its superstructure was transported by barge to a shipyard in Severodvinsk for refurbishment.
Conclusion
Abandoned oil platforms can cause many problems if not handled properly. However, they can also be extremely beneficial, as their underwater structures provide ideal conditions for the growth of corals, fish, and other marine life.
Many of these platforms have been converted into artificial reefs, including the Holly platform mentioned in this article. The practice of converting platforms into reefs in the United States dates back to 1984, when Congress passed the National Fisheries Promotion Act.
The act recognized the benefits of artificial reefs and encouraged U.S. states to convert abandoned platforms into reefs. States have established “Platform to Reef” programs, and more than 500 oil and gas platforms have been converted into reefs under these programs. These platforms have become popular sites for fishing and recreational diving.
Refurbishing a platform is less expensive than completely demolishing it, saving companies millions of dollars.