Enough material to build 110 Sydney Harbour Bridges is built into Australian offshore oil and gas rigs, and experts are now grappling with how to safely recover it.
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.For generations, offshore giants have powered Australian homes and industry. But today many of these giants are dying, and a dispute is growing over how the millions of tonnes of industrial detritus built into our oceans might be recovered and reused.
Across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Victoria, 57 oil and gas platforms are at or approaching the decommissioning phase.
Removing the steel footings altogether would remove marine habitat, they argued, “which is critical for the species established in this region”. “The majority of our structures are completely covered in marine life, which is in turn providing a habitat and a source of food for over 55 species of fish and larger marine fauna such as seals and sharks,” he said.Friends of the Earth Offshore Fossil Gas campaigner Jeff Waters isn’t buying it.
The Maritime Union of Australia’s assistant national secretary Mich-Elle Myers argues this standard cannot be met by leaving ageing infrastructure behind.“The comprehensive decommissioning of old, disused oil and gas infrastructure on our seafloor is non-negotiable,” she said. “Not only is it what these multinational oil companies signed up for when they built them, but we owe it to future generations not to abandon these massive installations in our pristine coastal environment.
The authors did not measure levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials, but said these could also pose risks when platforms are decommissioned or erode.“When pipelines are cut, or alternatively, when pipelines that have been left in situ break down , it is possible that this material would enter the marine environment and pose a risk, either via toxic action or bioaccumulation.”Alongside the risks, however, decommissioning old offshore oil and gas platforms offers great opportunity.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Audacious bid to dump old oil rigs on Bass Strait sea floorEnough material to build 110 Sydney Harbour Bridges is built into Australian offshore oil and gas rigs, and experts are now grappling with how to safely recover it.
Read more »
Qld by-elections opportunity for voters to tell govt ‘enough is enough’: David CrisafulliQld by-elections opportunity for voters to tell govt ‘enough is enough’: David Crisafulli
Read more »
Teenager remembered as vivacious and audacious after tragic bus accidentTia Cameron, an 18-year-old girl, was remembered by her family as vivacious and audacious at her funeral after she was hit by a bus in Brisbane's CBD. The tragedy has affected many witnesses and commuters who laid flowers and photos at the accident site.
Read more »
Increases in international illegal activity have left community in the Torres Strait concernedAn abuse of protected cultural waterways is leading to frightening incidents, including one report of a machete attack.
Read more »
‘The game has failed in this instance’: Thurston says eight-week Leniu ban isn’t enoughJohnathan Thurston says rugby league has missed an opportunity to send an unequivocal message that racial abuse will not be tolerated in the game.
Read more »
Australia faces a hot autumn with Sydney sea temperatures warm enough for a tropical cycloneOcean temperatures are ‘off the charts’, say experts who blame the tide of hot weather on global heating
Read more »