The non-explosive removal market in the Gulf of Mexico

Decommissioning offshore oil and gas structures represents the end of the production life cycle when wells are plugged and abandoned, infrastructure is removed, and the site is remediated and cleared of debris. The purpose of this paper is to examine the non-explosive severance techniques commonly employed in decommissioning, and to describe the business, engineering, and market environment of cutting services in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The management of decommissioning activities, the bid process, and the severance subcontractor network that operates in the GOM is presented, along with the basic cutting activities performed in decommissioning. The science and technology of mechanical, abrasive water jet, diamond wire, and diver torch methods is reviewed, and the factors that play a role in the decision to use explosive or non-explosive severance methods is described. The general structure of non-explosive service contracts is outlined, and the size of the severance market is estimated.