Shell, RIL & ONGC Achieve India's Landmark Offshore Decommissioning

A joint venture between Shell (via BGEPIL), Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has successfully completed India’s first offshore decommissioning project.

The project involved the safe removal and abandonment of facilities in the mid and south Tapti gas fields, located 160 km northwest of Mumbai in the Arabian Sea. Production at the Tapti field ended in March 2016. The decommissioning scope was divided into two parts: Tapti Part A facilities were transferred to ONGC, while Tapti Part B — comprising 38 wells, five wellhead platforms, and four pipelines — was decommissioned by the joint venture.

Planning began in 2017, with Shell holding a 30% stake, ONGC 40%, and RIL 30% in the Panna-Mukta and Tapti (PMT) joint venture. The project covered offshore removal, transport to an onshore dismantling yard, and the safe plugging and abandonment of all 38 wells, following a government-approved decommissioning plan.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) executed the offshore work, while Chowgule Shipyard (CLSPL) in Ratnagiri handled onshore dismantling. Developed in coordination with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), and Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD), this milestone project sets a new standard for offshore decommissioning in India.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.