Increasingly over the next few decades, the oil and gas industry faces the complex task of decommissioning its offshore platforms, pipelines and sub-sea equipment as they reach the end of their operational capabilities. Decommissioning involves and integrates many distinct aspects: engineering, environmental, economic, legal, political and safety considerations. A practical strategy for removing and disposing these structures needs to be developed which best meets the demands of all of these different aspects. Specialists in these various fields have been brought together for this volume to contribute their assessments of the situation. The result is an important step toward the development of a co-ordinated approach to the subject. It is essential reading for all those who are involved with major decommissioning projects, their possible environmental impact and their implications in politics and law.
