Nine platform jackets offshore Thailand set for new roles as artificial reefs

PTTEP has signed a memorandum of agreement with Thailand’s Departments of Fisheries and Mineral Fuels to repurpose decommissioned offshore wellhead platform jackets in the Gulf of Thailand as artificial reefs.

A total of nine repurposed jackets will be transferred to the Fisheries Department (DOF) to restore and enhance marine habitats, with the installation of these structures in their new roles set to start during Q4.

It follows a joint research initiative in 2022 involving DOF, PTTEP, Kasetsart University, Prince of Songkla University, and the Training Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) into the feasibility of this process.

According to PTTEP, retired wellhead jackets are good candidates for this new role because of their designed strength, durability, and long service life. The structures chosen in this case are those with components that have not been exposed to liquid petroleum during the production process, to support environmental safety.

In addition, their surfaces are said to be conducive to the attachment of marine organisms, helping to attract fish and offering habitats for other types of marine life.

PTTEP will support the redeployments as artificial reefs in areas of the Gulf of Thailand that have been approved by relevant authorities, around 125 km offshore Pattani Province and in a water depth of around 70 m.

The designated areas have been selected to avoid impacts on main navigation routes and to prevent any disturbance to prevailing ocean currents.

Following the installations, a program of continuous monitoring and assessment will provide data for further relocations of jackets for similar roles.