Poll results: Regulatory complexity, permitting delays are top offshore decommissioning challenges

Offshore's recent poll revealed that regulatory and financial hurdles dominate offshore decommissioning challenges.
Aug. 5, 2025
2 min read

Key Highlights

  • Regulatory complexity and permitting delays are considered the most significant offshore decommissioning challenges by industry professionals.
  • Budgeting, cost control and funding mechanisms are major concerns impacting project feasibility and timelines.
  • Long-term liability and financial assurance considerations are also increasingly important in decommissioning decisions.
ID 251538423 © Alan5766 | Dreamstime.com
offshore decommissioning poll results
The 8,100-tonne Ninian North jacket arrived at the heavy-duty decommissioning pad in April 2022 at the Dales Voe facility in Lerwick, Shetland, UK.

The Offshore editorial team polled its readers from July 21 through Aug. 1, asking "What is the most critical challenge with offshore oil and gas decommissioning today?"

Of the 86 total poll participants, the majority answered that regulatory complexity and permitting delays as well as budgeting, cost control and funding mechanism pose the greatest issues.

Stakeholder alignment and public perception received zero votes.

Courtesy CredSpark/Endeavor Business Media
Pie chart reveals top offshore oil and gas decommissioning challenges
The Offshore editorial team polled 86 of its readers, asking "What is the most critical challenge with offshore oil and gas decommissioning today?" The majority of poll participants answered regulatory complexity and permitting delays as well as budgeting, cost control and funding mechanism pose the greatest issues.

In order, here is a breakdown of how our audience responded:

  • Regulatory complexity and permitting delays: 26.26%
  • Budgeting, cost control and funding mechanisms: 22.09%
  • Long-term liability and financial assurance: 17.44%
  • Safe and cost-effective structure removal: 12.79%
  • Environmental and marine ecosystem impacts: 11.63%
  • Repurposing assets for alternative uses (e.g., CCS, wind, reefs): 6.98%
  • Decisions on full versus partial removal: 5.81%
  • Stakeholder alignment and public perception: 0%

Poll participants represented both major and independent oil and gas companies, national/state oil companies as well as consulting companies, drilling contractors and EPC firms, among others. For example, some of the respondents were from Qatar Energy, Tidewater, Shell, Crowley, Eni and Baker Hughes, to name a few. 

Offshore is an international resource for the offshore energy industry; therefore, poll participants hailed from all across the globe. The majority of respondents (42%) were from the US, with participation also coming in from Brazil (10%), the UK (8%), the Netherlands (6%) and India (6%). A smaller number of individuals were based in Singapore, Qatar and Malaysia (3% each) as well as Mexico and Canada (2% each).

The poll was featured in the Offshore Daily e-newsletter, promoted on Offshore's website and shared across Offshore's social media channels for nearly two weeks in late July.

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About the Author

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Ariana Hurtado

Editor-in-Chief

With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore magazine, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective. 

Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore magazine, its newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer. 

Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.

She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.

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