Last updated 14 April 1997

COASTAL AND OFFSHORE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

Assistance to Maritime States in the Formulation of National Policies for the Removal and Disposal of Obsolete Installations and Structures in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry

• The Mineral Resources Section has been studying the removal of obsolete installations and structures on the Continental Shelf and Exclusive Economic Zones of the Maritime States in the Asian Pacific Waters since 1989.

• The legal, technical, financial and environmental aspects of an appropriate removal regime were studied, considering the evolving offshore oil and gas industry in the region. Related issues vis-a-vis the protection of the marine environment - as spelled out in Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 - are now being scrutinized by ESCAP maritime member states with hydrocarbon exploitation as well as those still in the exploration stage.

• In this context, International Law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which entered into force in 1994, sets out the rights and obligations of States and provides the international basis upon which to peruse the protection and sustainable development of the marine and coastal environment and its resources.

• In order to raise interest in this specialised field of activity and deliberate on specific studies, three seminars were held in Bangkok (1989), Jakarta (1992) and Bangkok (1995). The proceedings are contained in four volumes:
  1. Waste Recycling for Sustainable Development - the Case of Obsolete Oil and Gas Production Structures, Volume 1 - Overview
  2. Volume II - Country Perspectives, and
  3. Technical Aspects and Legal Framework for the Removal and Disposal of Offshore Installations and Structures in Asia and Pacific, Volume III - Country and Industry Perspectives and
  4. Volume IV - The Evolution of Applicable Legal Frameworks

• These ESCAP publications are meant to generate interest among maritime states with an established offshore oil and gas industry as well as countries contemplating such operations in the future, in resolving legal technical, environmental and financial issues involved and thus evolving an appropriate removal regime for obsolete offshore structures and installations. The published information will also be of interest to international companies engaged in the offshore oil and gas industry, for assessment of investment conditions and the required environmental compliance as well as for companies that specialize in salvage operations offshore.