Decommissioning: the Middle East’s next energy challenge
The Middle East is home to many ageing oil and gas facilities. (Image source: ASCO)
With decommissioning still at an early stage in the Middle East, getting the model right now will reduce risk, protect schedules and build the local skills, infrastructure and supply chains needed for future projects, says Lee Vettese, regional manager – Middle East at ASCO
The Middle East has spent decades building energy infrastructure at exceptional scale. Decommissioning will test a different part of that system, with requirements that extend well beyond offshore removal.
Meeting those requirements is not simply about having contractors available when projects move into execution. It is about building the physical capacity, regulatory frameworks, specialist skills and operating models needed to manage decommissioning safely and efficiently.
Much of the technical debate centres on wells, structures and removal methodology. But the success of a decommissioning programme is also shaped by what happens once material reaches shore.
Closing the infrastructure gap
The quayside and laydown space needed to receive, process and store decommissioning material is often there. What is missing is the investment and technical preparation needed to turn that space into something that meets the sector’s requirements. That includes segregation areas, licensed waste-handling capability, contamination controls and established routes for reuse, recycling, treatment and disposal.
A single project can bring ashore multiple material streams, including steel recovered from equipment, topsides, jackets and tubulars, alongside residual hydrocarbons, produced water, hazardous coatings and NORM-contaminated material. Managing that mix involves assessment, classification, decontamination, heavy lifting, dismantling, segregation and specialist treatment.
Bringing different disciplines, permits and contractors into one programme makes consistent control across the material chain essential. Without reliable traceability and clear ownership, reusable equipment can be treated as waste, while changes in classification or delays in documentation can leave material sitting in storage, create additional handling and compliance issues, and put both cost and schedule under pressure.
The practical test is whether ports and supply chains are equipped to coordinate that complexity at volume. Over the last two years alone, ASCO has managed projects involving more than 30,000 tonnes of material. Managing that volume requires coordinated quayside operations, full traceability and specialist processing. Ports without the right facilities become bottlenecks rather than solutions. If material remains in storage longer than planned, costs rise and schedules come under pressure.
If accountability is fragmented, the interfaces between them become the weak point. An integrated delivery model does not mean one company performs every task. It means there is one clear line of accountability across the onshore chain, from receipt and handling through to dismantling, material recovery and certified disposal. Specialist partners can still be brought in, but safety, schedule, compliance and delivery remain under coordinated control.
The importance of that control becomes clearest when site conditions challenge the plan. On one recent North Sea project, ASCO managed the onshore recovery and downsizing of an approximately 400-tonne subsea isolation valve. When concerns arose around protecting the quayside during cutting, ASCO’s environmental and lifting-assurance teams developed a bespoke load-spreading solution that allowed the work to continue safely. The project achieved a 99% recycling rate, with zero contamination incidents and no damage to port infrastructure.
Building a regional model
The Middle East can learn from mature decommissioning markets without repeating the same learning curve. The North Sea spent years developing port capacity, waste routes, contractor capability and regulatory practice. The region can apply those lessons earlier.
But this is not about importing another market’s model wholesale. Local regulation, geography, infrastructure and commercial priorities differ across the Middle East. The right approach will combine international delivery experience with the knowledge of regional authorities, port operators, asset owners and supply-chain partners.
Local content is central to that. Building decommissioning capability means developing practical expertise in lifting assurance, materials control, radiological supervision, environmental management, dismantling and project coordination. International specialists can support the early phases, but the long-term value comes from growing capability that remains in the region for future projects.
The strongest investment case will come from planning for programmes rather than isolated assets. Greater visibility of likely volumes, timings and material types allows ports and service providers to invest with more confidence and develop complementary regional capabilities.
Early projects will shape the region’s decommissioning model for decades. The opportunity is to create a connected, locally anchored capability that brings ports, specialist skills and supply chains together, giving clients confidence that recovered infrastructure can be managed from quayside receipt to final recovery. Getting that model right now will reduce risk, protect schedules and build the local skills, infrastructure and supply chains needed for future projects.
About the author:
Lee Vettese has more than ten years' experience working across diverse international energy markets in complex, regulated environments, with a specific focus on environmental and decommissioning operations. As regional manager – Middle East at ASCO, he is based in Qatar, where he leads the company's market development, strengthens strategic partnerships, and supports the region's evolving energy and environmental needs.
