Abstract

Decommissioning of offshore structures has been a topical issue facing the global oil and gas industry Issues such as the huge financial liability, health and safety, environmental protection, taxation, regulatory, governance, residual liability, etc have severally been discussed, analysed, and reviewed. At the international level, there are regulations prescribing minimum obligations on coastal states to ensure the removal of disused offshore structures and protection of the marine environment. These international obligations birthed subsequent complimentary obligations by competent international organisations on one hand, and on the other hand, set the foundation for many regional programmes and treaties in respect to offshore decommissioning, marine life protection and fishermen’s rights. However, it is unclear the extent to which these generic offshore decommissioning obligations apply to offshore wells and pipelines. It is against this backdrop that this paper seeks to examine the international and some regional regulatory regime for decommissioning offshore wells and pipelines, particularly the North Sea and West Africa regions, and the national legislative framework of the United Kingdom and Nigeria.