Environmental Impact Analysis of Underwater Infrastructure Installation and Decommissioning
Keywords:
Underwater Infrastructure, Installation, Decommissioning, Environmental Impact, SustainabilityAbstract
The increasing number of oil and gas exploration activities in the deep sea has made underwater infrastructure, such as underwater pipelines, manifolds, and risers, continue to increase in number. However, over time, not a few infrastructures have entered the end of operations and must go through a decommissioning process. Both during installation and decommissioning, these two activities have the potential to disrupt the marine environment, ranging from seafloor disturbances, increased water turbidity, to the risk of exposure to marine life to residual structural materials. This study aims to see how environmental impacts arise from the installation and decommissioning process of underwater infrastructure, as well as understand the factors that affect the magnitude of these impacts. The approach used is a literature review, by examining Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports, several case studies of underwater projects, and marine environmental guidelines from IMO and OSPAR. The results of the study show that environmental impact is strongly influenced by the installation method chosen (trenching, jetting, or direct installation) and the decommissioning method applied (total lifting, partial lifting, or rig-to-reef), as well as local environmental conditions such as ocean depth and seafloor type. From these findings, the study also summarizes several mitigation measures that can be implemented so that environmental impacts can be reduced without neglecting sustainability aspects at each stage of the underwater infrastructure life cycle.
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