FPSO Decommissioning Expert group appoints Co-chairs

In May, IOGP established an expert group to promote responsible Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel recycling, and tackle some of the challenges unique to FPSO decommissioning. One key issue is proper preparation and sequencing of decommissioning activities to improve efficiency and leading to reduced cost. Another is the prevalence of poor worker safety practices in shipbreaking, and how IOGP can promote the high safety standards common for our industry in ship recycling yards.  The group, created following a framing workshop, has now appointed Eduardo Stein Soares Dutra and Marcelo Dourado as Co-Chairs.

Eduardo is a petroleum engineer with Petrobras, with 17 years oil and gas experience. He has coordinated several technical working groups, and has worked on decommissioning projects with Petrobras for a number of years.

Marcelo is a mechanical engineer with SBM Offshore’s FPSO operations division. He has 18 years of experience in Brazil and Angola, leading complex operations and developing strategic exploration and production offshore programs. In his current role, Marcelo is responsible for risk and opportunity management in Brazil as well as supporting the fleet’s decommissioning programmes.

We asked them about the plans for the Expert Group.

For Marcelo, it was the opportunity to liaise with the key players of the industry, whilst shaping a FPSO decommissioning framework to the highest standards, that motivated him to take of the role of Co-Chair.

Co-chairing this Expert group is a major opportunity to share knowledge and build new guidelines for our industry,” Eduardo says.

The current areas of focus for the Expert Group are:

• Sharing of best practices and lessons, using experience from IOGP Members.
• Developing good practice guides for FPSO decommissioning including for safe and environmentally responsible recycling in compliance with international and local regulations.
• Enabling supply chain availability and readiness by compiling forecast data on FPSO recycling demand.

Looking to the future

“FPSO decommissioning demand will greatly increase in the coming years. Regulators, and society, are demanding sustainable and responsible recycling standards. The FPSO Decommissioning Expert Group is the best opportunity to build a structured framework,” Eduardo explained.

“I believe our collective efforts, combined with extremely thorough and comprehensive decommissioning and recycling standards, are important components to succeed in our business,” adds Marcelo. “This is an exciting moment of the industry, and we welcome all interested Members to be part of this journey!”

Participating in this Expert Group are representatives from SBM offshore, Petrobras, Repsol, Shell, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Woodside, Equinor and Azule Energy.